THEATRE REVIEW: From Here To Eternity - The Charing Cross Theatre, London.

If, like me, you remember the black and white film with Frank Sinatra, and the iconic frolic in the waves between Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, you will not be disappointed. Sir Tim Rice has turned 'From Here To Eternity' into a wonderful musical. He has written some incredible lyrics with music by Stuart Brayson. I would like to think these songs should go on to become as well-known as some of Sir Tim’s previous works. They are heart-wrenching and outline the impending doom from a war that the Americans know is coming. The cast performance of these musical numbers was nothing short of perfection. For a cast that’s made up from mostly young and not very well-known performers it was beautiful and deserved its standing ovation. I know the story inside out and it still brought a tear to my eye. I didn’t want it to end, and I would go back again and again to see this. It was incredible. I felt it had a similar vein to 'South Pacific' but with a darker underbelly.

For those of you not too familiar with the story, and not wanting to give too much away, 'From Here To Eternity' is set in Hawaii in the two-week run up to the bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese. This was the turning point when the Americans were dragged into the second World War. 'From Here To Eternity' outlines the harsh brutality of being a soldier from within your own company, the long wait to join the war that is raging in Europe, the loneliness of being a long way from home, of love that can be found in the hardest places, infidelity and of love that is so easily lost. At times funny yet harrowing until the end. A phenomenal story that has been based on the novel by James Jones.

Jonathan Bentley as Prewitt has such a wonderful voice, and it is one that conveys so many emotions. He is a real star in the making, and although Bentley has already appeared in some major shows, I am sure he will become a household name. Desmonda Cathabel plays Lorene and my golly, she is gorgeous and has the most beautiful voice. Cathabel has just won the Stephen Sondheim Society Student performer of the year 2022. She breaks your heart with every note she sings, what a fabulous rising star we have here! Onwards and upwards, catch her if you can before she rises to the higher echelons of the music world. Jonny Amies playing Angelo Maggio, the role made famous by Frank Sinatra, would be tough shoes to fill for most actors, but Amies took this role and made it his own. Already with a few TV credits to his name, now playing the Italian-from-Brooklyn on stage seems like the part was made for him. Great accent and singing voice added to his charm; you can do nothing but sympathise with the lovable rogue who manages to get out of the most difficult circumstances, despite being bullied for being Italian at a time when racism was rife within the army. Ducking and diving, making a few cents here and there and landing on his feet apart from when he comes up against Fatso, Adam Rhys-Charles is Warden, another army man with a lower officer rank, trying to get through the daily battles of army hierarchy and concealing a hidden love. Loyal to his company and respected by the men. Not seeking promotion, as that is everything he is against, a man of principle and honour. Rhys-Charles, plays Warden with sensitive and compassionate nuances in his voice through his words and music. I did not initially warm to him but that was his plan, as the performance progressed, we were able to see inside the real man and then we started to see his true sensibility. Torn in many directions we see his vulnerability and the sense of loss he was experiencing through all the twists, turns and tribulations.

I must mention the fabulous Carley Stenson and Alan Turkington, both with a long list of credits, playing the married but unhappy Captain Holmes and his trophy wife. Married in name only we watch the unfolding relationship amid the crisis that is happening in Hawaii. The strive for power and glory to the detriment of a dysfunctional marriage. Both Stenson and Turkington are masters of disguise, hiding their real intentions from each other and displaying this in their skilled acting manner, their singing and stage presence. They are an asset to the troupe, and I imagine a stable and guiding influence on the younger members of the team.

There are only three female parts in the play and the final actor that I must include is the exuberant brothel matriarch, Mrs Kipfer, really just another person making a quick dime out of the military. Eve Polycarpou, a well-known stage, screen and TV star, walks out into the arena and demands the attention of the audience, with a powerful voice, she commands everyone around her. As Mrs Kipfer, she has nothing to lose, she’s making a living, she won’t be told how to run her business by the army. They have no jurisdiction over her. She provides a little solace for the soldiers and sailors that frequent her house. How well suited is Eve Polycarpou to this role, what a great bit of casting! Without her presence in 'From Here To Eternity' the production would be missing something truly spectacular. This could almost have been her show.

Definitely not one to be missed. 'From Here To Eternity' is an emotional rollercoaster of a story with some of the best music around. The audience was made up of a wide spread of ages and listening to those younger ones unfamiliar with the original film, they were in awe and saying how they did not know the story before they came to the show, but how amazing the singing and story were.

Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 8.11.22