Review: TREASON THE MUSICAL, Cadogan Hall (Online)
Following the success of ‘brought up-to-date’ historical musicals such as Hamilton and SIX, the latest offering is Treason The Musical, which focuses on the men who plotted alongside Guy Fawkes in the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.
Presented as a concert and filmed at Cadogan Hall, the new musical has a book by Ricky Allan & Kieran Lynn, with lyrics also by Allan and direction for the concert by Hannah Chissick. Treason has been releasing tracks over the last 4 months on Spotify and Apple Music, to whet our appetites for what was to come.
The cast assembled for the concert, although differing from the cast recording, is impressive with a wealth of musical theatre talent taking to the stage. Taking on the role of the plotters are Oliver Tompsett (&Juliet, Wicked) as Robert Catesby, Bradley Jaden (Les Miserables, Wicked) as Thomas Percy, Waylon Jacobs (Hamilton, Memphis) as John Wright and Emmanuel Kojo (Oklahoma!, Show Boat) as Thomas Winter; with the Nobility played by Daniel Boys (Nativity! Rocks, Falsettos) as King James I and Cedric Neal (Motown, Chess) as the Earl. The cast is completed by Lucie Jones (Legally Blonde, Waitress) as Martha Percy, Rebecca LeChance (School of Rock, Beautiful) as Anne Vaux, Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Caroline or Change) as Eleanor Brooksby; and Debris Stevenson (Poet in da Corner) takes on the role of the narrator.
The narrator speaks consistently in rhyming verse from the outset, which is genius lyrically as it flows beautifully and verges on slight rap when put to the music. This style fits well dramatically with the piece.
We are introduced to the characters on 8 November 1605 and taken back in time to 1603, when Elizabeth I dies and King James I succeeds her. Songs ‘The Promise’ and ‘The Day Elizabeth Died’ take us through this section of the story. King James is excellently played with camp mannerisms by Daniel Boys, who is slightly underused during the concert.
The story progresses with the uniting of Percy, Catesby, Wright and Winter and they begin to plot using the song ‘Take Things into our Own Hands’, which is the toe-tapping powerhouse song of the concert. The male voices blend together well with the song having a reminiscent Hamilton feel to it.
Oliver Tompsett not only plays Catesby as a strong figure but also presents his vulnerability, which shows in his acting versatility during ‘The Cold, Hard, Ground’.
The stand-out song and show stealer is ‘Blind Faith’, which is spine-chillingly good. Lucie Jones and Bradley Jaden are the stars of the show when performing this song, providing depth to the performance and presenting the song in such a way that is relatable to anyone who has been in love. Their tones and range demonstrated in this song blend together effectively, making it a very emotive song.
It is touted that Treason will be converted into a fully-fledged musical later into 2021 and when it does, we will be front row Besties! This is an exceptional musical in the making.
The show is available to stream on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 March at 2.30pm both days and 7.30pm Saturday, then slightly earlier at 6pm on Sunday. Tickets cost £15 and are available here.
