Dominion Theatre London – until 12 September 2020
Reviewed by Molly Stannard
5*****
A fantastic and imaginative adaptation by Scott Schwartz based on the biblical events of Moses, this show contains a great mix of humour, sadness, joy, despair, of relationships and love gained and lost, but ultimately victory for the downtrodden.
Some may find criticism because the stage set is basic, but thanks to Mike Billings for his lighting design and John Driscoll for his projection design you were transported back to ancient Egypt with amazing effects. I feel a more elaborate set would only detract from this wonderful illusion. The ingenious choreography by Sean Cheeseman, from the horse and chariots made up of dancing figures, to the river Nile coming alive by writhing bodies and the delightful combination of light projection recreating the turbulent waters and the flames of the burning bush was amazing to see. The music and voices were powerful and emotional.
The story is captivating as you see the relationship between the two brothers played by Luke Brady (Moses) and Liam Tamne (Ramses) unravel and eventually the truth of Moses origins become apparent, until eventually they must go their separate ways. The characters were brought alive and you could empathise with Moses as he comes to terms with his ancestry and his struggles with the abuse of his race, the conflict (at times), not only between him and his brother, but also with his own people and even with God. Moses sister Miriam (Alexia Khadime) and his wife Tzipporah ( Christine Allado) portrayed a great show of belief and strength as the driving force behind the men. The curses that God subjected the Egyptians to were skimmed over, a lot of drama could have been made of these, but, having said that, the show was long enough and the point of Pharaoh’s stubbornness was clearly put across.
At the end of the play there was a standing ovation which was well deserved!