Very loosely inspired by the old Scots ballad “Barbara Allen”, Dark of the Moon is the latest musical to try its luck at the Charing Cross Theatre. A new musical is always cause for curiosity, and with Georgie Rankcom (Anyone Can Whistle) at the helm, I had high hopes for this one.
It’s based on a 1945 stage play by Howard D Richardson and William Berney, set in the Appalachian mountains, with traditional songs. Rarely revived professionally, the play is perhaps best known for its inclusion in the West End show Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
I’m always in the market for a camp bit of witchery – think Rocky Horror, Bat Boy, The Witches of Eastwick, Rockula. The trouble is that this musical doesn’t know if that is what it wants to be, or whether it wants to show the serious side of human heartbreak.
John (Glenn Adamson) is a witch who falls in love with Barbara Allen (Lauren Jones), watching the moonlight with her, and wishing to become human. She only senses his presence, but when his wish is granted – with the condition of year-long fidelity – they fall in love quickly.
With songs by Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett & Steve Robson that veer sharply from rock beats to more traditional musical theatre songs, Dark of the Moon runs into trouble quickly. Little about Barbara and John’s relationship rings true, despite the best efforts of the talented performers.
The sassy witch girls (Jordan Broatch, Al Knott, Appolilly Szwarc) are straight off Macbeth’s moor with a “conjur woman” (Josie Benson) who looms over proceedings like Narnia’s White Witch, just as bitter and malevolent but with fabulous vocals. The “conjur man” (a touching Gary Turner) feels cut out of Lord of the Rings, but the gravitas feels out of place.
With a very weak book by Jonathan Prince, this production really has nowhere to go. It looks good in terms of set (Libby Todd) and lighting (Jonathan Chan), but some lyrics are lost in the sound mix. Some supporting performers stand out – the preacher (Martin Callaghan), Barbara’s mother (Sue Appleby), Marvin, who tries to coerce Barbara into marriage (Samuel Murray) – but there are too many scenes and not enough cohesion.
It is rare that a musical wastes its potential so spectacularly. I struggled to understand what it meant to be and questioned whether it was ready for a full run in such a big theatre. A serious musical about the Barbara Allen story as originally told might have worked. An all-out rock ‘n’ cheese fest would have been fun. A slice of Americana would have fit the bill.
As it is, Dark of the Moon is unsatisfying fare because it makes little sense as a show and has no emotional trajectory for the audience to react to. I have to reluctantly classify this one under ‘missed opportunity’.
2 stars.
Dark of the Moon is at Charing Cross Theatre until 8 Aug – tickets here.
Photo credit: Tom Bowles