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This week has taken me down to the West End to see the opening of George Wendells' Outstanding new musical Stalin!, the tale of Russia's most brutal murderous dictator told in a jokey, singy-songy way.
George Wendells is by no means a stranger to the musical scenario. His works stretch back to the beginning of this decade when he first arrived with the unforgettable Terry!, the heart-warming tale of Terry Waite and his imprisonment in Beirut (I can still feel the peel of the classic "Just This Radiator and Me" in my ears). He followed that with other incredible flops like Invisible!, a musical adaptation of HG Wells' first novel 'The Time Machine', Wallace!, the story of one man and his dog in a voyage to the moon, and more recently Backgammon!, about, uh… a bunch of people who play backgammon.
My Blood Is In It
Since his last production, George Wendells has been in hiding, shamed by the critics' reception of the physically shocking Backgammon!
"Some people actually really threw up in the first act," he told us of the opening night. "That was messy, of course, but, y'know, I wanted to shock people, and making them throw up is shocking them, I think, in a very positive way."
Afeared that he should try and steer away from the tactless and the socially awkward, he decided to tackle the life and times of psychopathic military ruler.
"I was drawn to his persona," he claims was his inspiration for his new Magnus Opus. "That and his moustache."
Wendells has certainly worked long and hard to produce this fine work of art, and, as some of the cast would say, "As long as the suckers stay in the auditorium during the interval, we might stand a chance."
Quavering Crotchets
Not only was agog at the actual preview performances, I was also impressed by my sneak look at a rehearsal earlier in the day. It's got a top-notch cast, including the likes of Philip Schofield, who plays the title role.
"It's a team thing," commented Philip. "No bloody squeaky gophers, OK?"
Not to mention the high-toned orchestra and the actual live Communists in the pit who shout "Comrade!" once in a while, just listen to the songs and you know it was worth it. My personal favourite was the Act II finale, "Confess Your Crimes Today", and extremely well-choreographed look at the purges in Russia. Looks set to be the next Disney film.
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