The Boys in the
Photograph
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book and lyrics by Ben Elton
Directed by Ben Elton
Starring Tony LePage
and Erica Peck
At the Royal Alexandra Theatre
in Toronto on Friday
*½
Dear Winnipeg,
I'm sorry I haven't written, but I needed some time to think and clear my head. I know I was in the wrong now. Will you forgive me?
Maybe it was the joy of being back with you for the first time in years. Maybe it was the friendly atmosphere of the Manitoba Theatre Centre, a place that holds fond memories for me.
Whatever it was, when I saw Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's The Boys in the Photograph with you in May, I gave the show a three-star review.
You could probably tell from the words I chose that I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the show, but I should have communicated that more explicitly by, say, chopping that star count in half. I thought I was being nice, but in fact I was just leading you on.
Watching this musical a second time in Toronto, I realized the error of my ways and found myself embarrassed by my past actions. If you went to see it on my recommendation and were disappointed, Winnipeg, I am truly sorry.
I'm not saying that I lied to you. The cast is indeed gung-ho, Lloyd Webber's score is quite good and the story is compelling and important, just as I said.
But I didn't tell you the entire truth, either. What The Boys in the Photograph does have going for it is almost entirely undercut by Elton. His work as a writer on Blackadder will forever put him in my good graces, but his direction here is static and often embarrassingly misjudged. And as the book writer, his dialogue may be funny when it's funny, but sinks deep into unconvincing cliché whenever it goes for drama.
Not to rehash old history, but The Boys in the Photograph is a reworking of Lloyd Webber and Elton's 2000 critical hit, The Beautiful Game. John (Tony LePage) is the wisecracking hero of a Northern Irish sports team - football, soccer, whatever you want to call it - apparently the best since George Best. The others playing with him in green are Thomas (Richard Harte), a Republican with a real hate-on for the Protestants; Ginger (Shawn Meunier), a gawky but, of course, loveable misfit; and Del (Brandon McGibbon), the team's sole Protestant, who protests that he is, in fact, "an atheist and an internationalist."
Over the course of the musical, we discover how the Troubles come to affect each of their lives - though the focus is primarily on John and his relationship with his peacenik girlfriend-then-wife Mary (Erica Peck, with a voice like a glorious fist to the face).
I should have mentioned this before, Winnipeg, but The Boys in the Photograph jogs in place for almost its entire first half. A new opening number ( Boys in the Photograph) bookends the old one ( The Beautiful Game), so it is 20 minutes before the action even begins. And then it gets stuck in a rut. Several first-act songs - God's Own Country, Born in Belfast, Love in Peace - reiterate the same place-setting themes over and over without moving the plot forward. We're in Belfast in 1969 and the Catholics and Protestants are at each other like cats and dogs. This is a pain. We get it.
Adding to the show's lack of momentum, Elton has staged most of these numbers with the characters rooted to one spot, alone or in clumps, singing directly to the audience. It doesn't look like a play; it looks like choir practice.
Now, Winnipeg, I must admit the second act is a real improvement. The plot starts to move along and the characters deepen. The First Time is a hilarious look at wedding night jitters, while It Will Never End has some genuine lyrical insights into the cycle of violence.
But Elton sabotages whatever tension he builds up with silly jokes time and time again. He drives the tone all over the road.
And then, elements of his direction are simply sloppy. This is a production where nobody ever knocks; they simply walk into houses and hotel rooms - often right through walls.
The biggest mistake, however, is the inclusion of poorly Photoshopped photos of the boys on the soccer pitch. Every time something sad or solemn happens to one of the characters, a goofy picture of him is projected on the set. This device deflates every potentially moving moment.
On the upside, Elton's revised ending feels less tacked-on than it did in Winnipeg. Like most of the dramatic dialogue, however, rather than delicately plucking at your heartstrings, it has the effect of two fingers jabbing at the back of your throat.
"I've remembered who I am," John says in that scene. Like him, I too have remembered who I am, Winnipeg. I've learned my lesson and I promise not to repeat my mistakesin future cities, especially not Toronto. I hope you can forgive me and we can be friends.
Yours,
J. Kelly Nestruck
The Boys in the Photograph continues at the Royal Alexander Theatre until Nov. 1.
J. Kelly Nestruck