A Tale of Two Cities...the Musical Review

Oh, I just realized my 200th post was actually on Charles Dickens' birthday! Lovely!

I also wrote a tribute to Charles Dickens on my other blog, as well for his actual birthday.

And now...a review of the musical A Tale of Two Cities!

My obsession with musicals is legendary among friends – and those of you who’ve been around a while since my blog started almost two years ago. And my foray into the gorgeous A Tale of Two Cities almost never happened.

It was during one of those random evenings in late 2009, sitting around watching a football game (or something…I know I wasn’t watching it) and Dad was switching channels to find something to switch to during commercials when he said, “Oh, is Les Miz on?” (and yes, he was the one that got us hooked on Les Miserables after being obsessed with it himself when the 10^th anniversary first came out.) No, it wasn’t, but it was the trial scene in A Tale of Two Cities, and needless to say the game was quite forgotten in the glorious music.

From where I sit, I see the way things are,
The way they’ve always been.
From here the heavens seem a little far
In this world filled with sin.
And with these hands I keep the memory
Of the things we’ve had to bear.
I mark the names of who will pay when we are free.
I knit a picture of the way it ought to be.

When people are thirsty and ready and willing,
Then it won’t be long till something else but wine is spilling.
The butcher is idle when people are starving.
But it won’t be long ‘til there’s a different kind of carving.
Look into the future, and what do you see there?
And  if you do nothing, can you guarantee we’ll be there?

After seeing it, I was desperate to find it on DVD or at least get the CD, but alas! It was only a PBS showing and the only way to get the DVD or CD was to pay one of their “pay $200 and get the DVD and CD”, which obviously we weren’t doing, no matter how glorious the music. So I had to wait six months before it finally came out on CD and DVD around my birthday, which was the perfect time for my brothers to get it for said occasion! I’ve got awesome brothers. Anyway. And it didn’t disappoint.

When it comes to adaptations, the most important thing, I think in musicals, is that it’s true to the spirit of the story, which is where I think that The Scarlet Pimpernel (which I reviewed several weeks back on The Day Dream) failed, and why I love Tale despite the fact that it isn’t purely true to the story in every single way. The spirit of the story is there.

We both were lost,
But now that’s all behind us.
All the endless years
I never knew you.
Lay down your pain,
The shadows of the past.
You have seen the very last
Of what you knew.
I’ll help you to forget
The emptiness you’ve known.
You’ll never be alone again.
Together we’ll begin
That life lost long ago.
You’ll never be alone again.

The cast are magnificent, completely transcending the rather small and dinky (to quote my musical theatre aficionado/geek mother) stage. It’s a concert version of the story, so there’s no spoken dialogue, but the songs are “acted” out vs. sung in microphones like the concert version of Les Miserables. The bits in between are narrated by acting legend Michael York, and while he does fine with it, it can be a bit annoying to be jerked out of the emotion of the music and story to hear him going on about the plot (to be honest, Mom and I skip those bits when we watch it :-P).

  James Barbour brings the most incredible and most accurate portrayal of Sydney Carton I’ve seen yet, showing both the charm, wit, and pathos of the character. He may have issues but personal life aside, the man is one incredible actor and he has an absolutely gorgeous voice to go with it. His singing literally moves me to tears with the incredible emotion in it, just what’s needed for this character.

I can’t recall the taste of wine,
Have I been drinking down my days,
A crippled wretch content to crawl?
If I have been that man,
 Right now I can’t recall.

The choice is mine,
Tomorrow’s at my feet,
All yesterday’s a haze,
I pray that I will not repeat!

I can’t recall a night so clear,
The heavens seem an inch away,
And not unfriendly after all, after all,
If life was never quite this sweet,
I can’t recall!

Simon Thomas’ Charles Darnay, while a bit…”I’m the other guy so I’ve gotta be a bit of a wimp so everyone feels bad for the Unrequited One” (more on that later this week) has a nice voice and great chemistry with everyone, including Brandi Burkhart, who plays Lucie. Lovely voice and shows the sweet Lucie while giving her just a bit…personality? J Sometimes Dickens heroines can be a weeee bit flat, and she put just the teeniest bit of spunk that I enjoyed.

I’ve got to give a shout-out to Natalie Toro, who gives an absolutely amaaaazing performance as Madame Defarge. The villainess of Tale is often portrayed as just the personification of pure evil, but Natalie goes a step beyond and manages to show purely through her acting how Madame came to be the way she was. When I really thought about it, Lucie and Madame have two parallel stories – they were horribly wronged when they were young, and it was only because Lucie chose to forgive that she ended up the way she was. It is frightening in a way, to look at Madame Defarge and realize that it was bitterness that made her the way she was – and that any one of us is capable of becoming that way ourselves. Her scenes are sooooo dramatic, especially the trial scene, where it just seems as if she snaps and is just oozing with hate. Chilling scene. Plus she has one incredible belt, and while her voice for this character isn’t necessarily beautiful, it is one of those, “wow, what a voice” kind of things. J Major kudos to her character.

Out of sight, out of mind,
Where the strong never look.
If we don’t come too near,
It’s as if we’re not here,
And there’s nothing to fear.

But out of sight
We have the room to plan,
We watch them from afar.
They won’t suspect,
Till soon we’ll see a day
When they know who we are!

Let them stay unafraid!
Just for now, keep them blind.
Patience waits for a spark!
Till the time that is right,
We’ll remain in the dark…
Out of sight, out of mind!

 

For once I can say that I love every single one of the songs in this musical. They’re all gorgeous, emotional, and just give you that emotional high point that is one of the most glorious parts of the musical experience. My brother pointed out that there are several songs that ooze Les Miz vibes, and while that is true, it certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment of them. The orchestration is absolutely stunning, soaring and rousing and just gorgous.

The melodies aren’t the only part of the musical. The lyrics themselves are brilliant, especially Sydney’s songs, which so perfectly express the emotions of the character.

If dreams came true,
I might have been a better man.
If dreams came true,
You might have set me free.
But God is kind,
For you he had a better plan,
And saved you from the pain of loving me.

(that song gives me the chills every time I listen to it…it so so perfectly describes Sydney’s pain. And the gorgeous way it’s put…”but God is kind, for you he had a better plan, and saved you from the pain of loving me.” Just…gorgeous. All I can say.)

I know this is a highly unintelligible review J, but the height of my love for this musical is just…yeah. Definitely in my top ten if not my top five favorite musicals, and climbing steadily every time I watch it. It is true to the spirit of the novel, really bringing across Sydney’s transformation and redemption and the truly selfless love he has for Lucie Manette. And I think that’s what I love most about the story…most people would think, oh, great…Charles will die and then Sydney will finally get what he wants. Even Sydney thinks it at one point in the story…

What if he can’t be saved?
What if he dies?
What if she turns to me?

But in the face of a story where everyone is looking out for themselves, revenging their own injustices and never thinking of how their vengeance affects other people, Sydney thinks only of the woman he loves and what would make her truly happy.

For now save her the sorrow,
For now save her the tears.
Save grief for somewhere years away,
Just not today, not here.
For now let her be lucky,
For now look down in grace.
Give her time to learn compassion,
Give her time to learn forgiveness,
Help me find a way to give this gift to her!
Only let her be a child,
Let her be a child…
Just let her be a child for now.

A Tale of Two Cities is ultimately the story of redemption and what a truly real love is – “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).” I always love the last bit of the story, where Sydney finally and truly has a purpose for living, and the story really shows this once again in the beautiful lyrics in “The Letter”, his goodbye to Lucie.

When you look into his eyes,
Know how much you meant to me.
Know this was the only way to set him free…
To set me free.

 So if you don’t get anything out of this review, just get that – I cannot recommend it highly enough! It is available now on Amazon in CD and DVD format…and let me tell you, if you can get your hands on the DVD, do so! It really is amazing at how incredible they all do…you just forget that they’re on that tiny stage and it’s just wonderful. Believe it, it will be a far, far better thing you do… :-P Anyway.

I can’t recall a night so clear,
The heavens seem an inch away,
And not unfriendly after all…
If life was never quite this sweet…

  It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done.
It is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.

  I can’t recall!