I decided to see Stiletto on a Wednesday matinee when I had a review to do in the evening. As I travel to London it made sense to combine the train fare and see two shows in one day, not for the first time by a long shot. But I took a gamble on Stiletto as I wasn’t sure what I was going to see at that point. I am so glad I did.
The subject matter is somewhat grim. 1730s Italy was not the most pleasant place to live if you were a boy from a poor background and had a decent singing voice as a child. Being forcibly castrated preserved a treble voice (women were not allowed on stage during these times, so men with treble voices would perform female roles), but many did not survive and for those who did their freedom as well as their ability to have children was brutally ripped away. Some might say this is dark subject matter for a musical but in actual fact it meant the range of characters on stage and their backstories were varied and interesting, from Faustino Conti (Greg Barnett) who trained castrated boys until they were skilled enough to sing on stage, to Giola (Jewelle Hutchinson) who has the most stunningly beautiful singing voice but was unable to use it professionally due to being the daughter of African slaves, and Douglas Hansell’s buffoon Peitro D’Orozco who drives his wife potty as well as his lover Luigi (Sam Barrett).
This is one of those productions that things become much clearer on a second viewing. How the characters’ backstories interweave for example. I won’t write spoilers into a review but what I will say is that Azurra D’Orozco (Kelly Hampson) is a complex character, evoking all sorts of emotions through the show, managing to make a stunning rendition of Amore Mio one of the songs that sticks in your head while her behaviour on stage is actually predatory and abusive. Similarly Faustino manages to evoke sympathy during Act 2, despite his entire life having been spent mistreating young boys. These mixed emotions make you think, long after the show finishes.
Jack Chambers brings Marco Borroni to life, his youthful looks and ability to look so vulnerable in many situations as well as showing strength (supporting those Marco cares about) made this character hard to take your eyes away from when he was on stage. Marco’s relationships with other characters are variable in their impacts yet he manages to navigate his way through his troublesome existence. His blossoming relationship with Gioia as well as his friendship with Niccolo (Connor Wood) brought out empathy for Marco himself. How someone who has suffered so much could constantly champion the underdog was something to behold. As far as Niccolo’s story arc went, what a fantastic performance by Connor Wood, his portrayal stressful to watch the first time as I was concerned those pesky stilettos had been put to a second use… but such was the constant threat of these dark times that this would not have been unfeasible.
I have never been to Charing Cross theatre before, one of the smaller off West End theatres, right underneath the station. It’s a nice theatre with decent raked seats so I imagine the view is pretty good wherever you are sitting.
The first time I saw Stiletto I was in the front row, and the bonus with these seats is, when the cast are moving around the stage right in front of you, you can hear their individual voices belting out at you as they pass… and what incredible voices they all have in this show. I also got some really nice individual photos that you can see over on my Instagram.
The second time I was in the middle of row D and the “whole stage” view was even better. During my second visit I looked at the individual members of the cast as well as the person singing during solos, some entertaining reactions here including the priest (Owen Johnston) falling asleep during a performance by the Mezzo Soprano (Jennie Jacobs). The ensemble are so strong in this cast, and I have to give a special mention to Richard Dawes who was covering for two other people on 7 May and on the stage for the majority of the show. Seeing the show again a week later with the full cast present, it was that delightful blend of familiar yet new as Gasparini (Samuel John Taylor) and the priest I mentioned earlier helped fill the stage.
The music is absolutely beautiful, seeing a harp and cello visible was wonderful and when the music started it had a real baroque vibe to it to start with, reminding me of Vivaldi at some points, I knew I’d enjoy the music as soon as the first notes played. The costumes are also absolutely stunning, as you can see from my photos.
You can probably tell I love this show. It has potential to be a must see, 5 star show with a bit of work on some of the writing. I know you’re meant to suspend disbelief when you’re watching a musical but some facts just exist and one of those is that if you’d been forcibly castrated at the age of 8, it would be physically impossible for certain things to happen, as puberty would not have taken place. This could be written around fairly easily without much impact on the narrative, in fact it would possibly even enhance it in some ways.
With that said, I highly recommend seeing this brand new musical before this run finishes. I’m definitely going to see it again before it closes.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Stiletto is showing until 14 June at the Charing Cross theatre.
More curtain call photos for this show and others are over on my Instagram.
