Menier Chocolate Factory – until 9 September 2023
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
2**
Sometimes, there is no need to tamper with perfection – and this musical adaptation of The Third Man is a prime example. Carol Read brought Graham Greene’s story of the dark underside of post-war Vienna to the screen with a scintillating class and style that has proved impossible to channel into this production, even for such a stellar creative team.
It’s 1947, and writer Holly Martins (Sam Underwood) arrives in Vienna on the promise of an opportunity from his old pal Harry Lime, only to discover that his friend has been killed in a road accident. Suspicious about the circumstances of Harry’s seemingly simple death, Holly begins to make enquiries, even after being warned off by the British army and Harry’s dodgy associates. As the truth about Harry’s immoral dealings on the black market are revealed to him, Holly grapples with his feelings about Harry and becomes more desperate to get to the truth.
Plotwise, the show follows the film, with nods to pivotal images and scenes – the zither player, the vicious parrot, the balloon cellar, the Ferris wheel – but this does start to feel like we are working through a list after a while. Perhaps a straight play could have maintained the tension and pace of the search for Harry Lime and been the mean and moody drama this story deserves. Unfortunately, adding musical numbers into the mix just slows everything down. While George Fenton’s music is enjoyable, it isn’t memorable and the song styles appear to be from three distinct shows. This may be the intent – highlighting the chaotic mix of people and lifestyles in Vienna at the time – but it jars. The book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton are clunky and occasionally laughable – a real shock considering the duo’s pedigree. The attempts at film noir dialogue do not have the same dramatic heft between songs which include many a crime against rhyme to fit in Harry Lime. (Honestly, that could be a direct quote.) Paul Farnsworth’s starkly grey set, with handy piles of rubble for beggars to lie on, and the mostly grey palette of the costumes create a wonderfully seedy and dark atmosphere alongside Emma Chapman’s evocative lighting. Trevor Nunn uses the adaptable space of the Menier ingeniously to allow chases through the streets and sewers of Vienna. This works brilliantly in some scenes but can mean that some of the most iconic lines, delivered from the shadows on screen, are played in a corner, or on an exit aisle.
The cast give their utmost, Edward Baker-Duly and Jonathan Andrew Hume impress as the upright British soldiers on Harry’s tail, and Derek Griffiths is wonderfully frustrated as the doomed porter. Gary Milner is suitably mysterious and suspicious as Baron Kurtz, while Natalie Dunne does wonders with the woefully underwritten part of Anna. Sam Underwood’s loyal but naïve Holly is full of twitches and tears – making it much more explicit that Harry would probably have used him with thoughtless cruelty in his future plans. Underwood shows the physical pain of every revelation about his friend and keeps this frustrating character sympathetic. When Simon Bailey appears, the energy and pace of the show perks up, with a fantastic opening to act two. The cast have impeccable vocal skills and give their all to add emotional weight to such banal lyrics.
In one song Anna sings about music giving her life happiness and meaning – unfortunately that wasn’t the case for me watching this show. I love musical theatre, but The Third Man just doesn’t work. A real shame, as the cast and creatives have such incredible potential, but this show never emerges from the Viennese shadows.