Stiletto | Charing Cross Theatre

With music and lyrics by three-time Grammy nominee, Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Matthew Wilder, and book by two-time Olivier Award nominee Tim Luscombe, this new musical, Stiletto, takes us to eighteenth-century Venice. The story follows Marco, a boy aiming to become an opera star, who tries to get a sense of what it was like to be a part of the people of the time. However, the intricacies of the characters are not presented in the most appropriate way and instead are somewhat of a distraction to the plot.

In eighteenth-century Italy, women were not allowed on stage, and all opera roles were played by men. To ensure the purity of their voices, numerous boys were castrated at an early age - most of them from impoverished families - to be able to play female roles, and the hero, Marco (Jack Chambers), is one of them. Discovered by Faustino (Greg Barnett), he has been learning the art of singing opera with him since he was a child. By chance, he is recognised by the Contessa Azurra (Kelly Hampson) and can express his abilities on stage. One day, he meets Gioia (Jewelle Hutchinson) in a square. Equally gifted as Marco, but as the daughter of African slaves, she is far from her dream of being on stage. Marco is drawn to Gioia's determination and talent and feels the same sense of incompleteness in her as he does in himself. He wants to get her to perform on stage and at the same time gradually falls in love with her.

Although there is not a lot of space on the stage, Ceci Calf's design brings out the best in it. The stage is divided into two levels. The ground floor section has several arches, next to which are several ornate candelabras, and on the balcony railing is carved a winged lion. All of these objects are dark gold. Although the design is not overwhelming, it has a feeling of luxury and sophistication. The costumes of the characters also accurately show the period setting of this story and their status.

The biggest problem in this production is its plot. From the synopsis, it seems that the most important things in this show should be Marco and Gioia's efforts toward their dreams, the relationship between the two, and their struggles with their identities. However, all of these parts are brought up superficially, to the point where it's hard to find the focus. It's difficult to see how much effort they put into getting on stage to perform, their relationship develops too abruptly, the discrimination Gioia experiences is quite shallow and facile, and Marco's disapproval and low self-esteem about his identity are stated bluntly, with detailed characterisation missing.

It's not just the two main characters that have characterisation issues, some of the minor supporting characters feel more like they were created to serve a particular moment. The priest seems to be there just to be accidentally killed by Gioia at the salon to create the conflict that follows. Niccolo, who is unable to speak due to his trauma, seems to have been waiting to raise his voice at the last moment to make an important testimony, and his friendship with Marco and Gioia is not entirely convincing.

Wilder's music adds a lot of colour to this work. Not only is there a mixture of classical and contemporary singing, but the music has many of the features of Italian music. The use of the harp is particularly outstanding among the many instruments used. Even during the quiet conversations of the characters, the gentle sound of the harp adds a touch of romance to those moments. While almost every song in the show is catchy, the supporting characters' songs go even deeper. Examples include Faustino's Written in Stone, Azzurra's Amore Mio, Azzurra and husband Pietro's Without Me/Without You, and Luigi's Go Along.

Chambers' Marco seems like an adolescent who hasn't quite matured yet. He has a soft demeanour, and although he has goals, it's hard to see independent thoughts in him. Despite having romantic relationships with Faustino, Azzurra and Gioia on different levels of affection, there's no discernible difference in his attitude towards any of the three. Hutchinson's Gioia is bold and determined, and it's a pity that she hasn't been given more room to expand on her character. Barnett's Faustino has a sense of obsession both with the music and with Marco and is one of the most interesting characters. However, his romantic relationship with Marco is not explicit at the beginning and is only suddenly revealed in a song later in the first act. Hampson's Azurra is charming and poised, with a loose sense of humour. It's quite amusing to see how she and her husband Pietro (Douglas Hansell), who has almost the standard Disney villain figure, disapprove of each other, yet have a subtle sense of balance between the two. And Luigi (Pietro's lover and accountant), played by Sam Barrett, is very witty. Often, even when not at the centre of the audience's attention, his interactions with Pietro make you want to watch more.

In a successful production, the relationships and personalities of the characters can be revealed naturally from the plot of the story. However, in Stiletto, the presentation of the characters' relationships is slightly deliberate and not fully integrated with the development of the plot.

Overall, while this production has several interesting highlights, it also has many problems that come along with it. Still, with a good cast and music that stays with you after you leave the theatre, this production is worth seeing.

Stiletto runs at Charing Cross Theatre until 14th June 2025.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Johan Persson