This fascinating play by Calum Finlay, first staged at the Watermill Theatre Newbury, tells the story of Fanny Mendelssohn, younger sister of Felix, the celebrated composer. It is a mixture of historical drama, family soap, musical revelation and slapstick comedy – a very rare combination but one that works well in the small and friendly setting of the (new) Kings Head Theatre.
Fanny lives in the Mendelssohn household in Berlin. She gets the same musical education as her brother and is considered the more talented of the two. However, social and family pressures mean that she is expected to marry and manage a home rather than pursue a musical career. Some of her compositions are published under her brother’s name. The play imagines how she might have reacted to this forced anonymity and centres around the fact that when Felix performed for Queen Victoria, she chose from his first book of lieder a song actually composed by Fanny. We see Fanny and Felix competing in a slapstick race by boat from Hamburg to London and by carriage from the docks to Windsor to respond to an invitation from Her Majesty. Of course, this never have happened but as a dramatisation of their rivalry it makes for great theatre. We also meet their mother Lea spelling out to Fanny that her duty is to marry and raise children – and Wilhelm Hensel, who does eventually marry Fanny but surprisingly appears more sympathetic to her musical ambitions than do her family.
The play begins with Fanny – played by the wonderful Charlie Russell – conducting an imaginary orchestra. Felix (Daniel Abbott) enters and Fanny helps him with his Wedding March. Mother Lea (Kim Ismay) appears and demands that Fanny accepts that her demeanour needs to change to make her more “marriageable”. Her other brother Paul (Jeremy Lloyd) is constantly ordered to undertake unpalatable or impossible tasks and her whirlwind of a sister Rebecka (Danielle Phillips) rushes on and off demanding solutions to imaginary dilemmas. All these actors provide performances of charm and humour – indeed, the tight ensemble and the brilliantly choreographed action are a big part of the play’s success. The race scenes demand a range of sailors, hoteliers, and coach drivers so all the actors except Russell play multiple roles.
Writer Calum Finlay makes it clear in the programme that the final version of the play is the result of extended collaborative development and he mentions Charlie Russell, director Katie-Ann McDonough and producer Rebecca Gwyther as key players. As director, McDonough has the courage to let the episodic nature of the story take the play into wildly different styles as the tale gets told, but holds the narrative together despite teetering on the edge of chaos. There is a glorious section where we the audience are recruited to bring a piece of music to life – and here Russell is at her best, her infectious enthusiasm sweeping us all along and even turning a props mishap into a brilliant bit of improvised comedy. Not everything works quite so well the recurring riff on puns and wordplay was a bit hit-and-miss and ran out of steam.
This is a breathless comedy with a serious message at its heart – and one that is still sadly relevant today. The achievement of the whole creative team in front of – and behind – the curtain is worthy of the huge ovation it got, and of long runs, hopefully in many theatres.
By Calum Finlay
Director: Katie-Ann McDonough
Performers incl: Charlie Russell, Daniel Abbott, Kim Ismay
Running time: 2 hours 30 Minutes
Until 15 November
Photo credit: David Monteith-Hodge