Review: 1888 @ The Union Theatre

What is immediately striking about the tucked-away Union Theatre is the intimate and charming nature of the space itself; obscure and angular inside the auditorium, warm and welcoming around the bar area. Indeed, this antique and shadowy setting beneath a railway bridge proved a worthy backdrop for the dark and dingy tale of '1888'- a piece of musical theatre based upon the fascinating tale of a one 'Saucy Jacky', also known as Jack the Ripper...

London's West-End is dominated by musical theatre today; rife with uplifting harmonies, fist-clenching solos and enough special effects to keep even George Lucas happy. However it is rare in extremes that a musical is stripped back and performed in such proximity to an audience in such a way as 1888. This proves for an altogether different viewing experience. True; the obvious cliches of musical-theatre performance are much more noticeable from such a short distance (cue bulging eyes, wild gesticulation et al.), however it is somewhat special to witness the incredible choreography required for these types of performance up close.

And 1888 is extremely well choreographed, especially taking note of the small and irregular space gifted to the performers. Full cast dance routines are co-ordinated and tight- performed with oodles of energy and presicion unabounded. The songs are somewhat hit and miss, with one particularly weird and un-settling number detailing the death of a hooker marking the low point of the show, however Jack the Ripper fans will certainly appreciate the clever re-working of some of those famed letters into catchy musical numbers.

Performance wise, leading lady and young-star Gemma Salter shines brightest as scullery-maid Rosie Walker; she is certainly one to watch in future with her brilliant voice and obvious talents as an actress as well as a singer. Particularly impressive was the 'picnic' scene with romantic interest Stephen Lloyd (Detective Beck), where her reactions to John's well delivered 'post office' speech were both believable and telling of the obvious chemistry between the two protagonists.

All in all, this is a fun evening out and a captivating tale of a bygone London that is suitable for the whole family (well okay, maybe not the sub-13's). The Prompt would advise any fans of musical theatre to pop by and take a look.

(*** 3 stars issued by Mr. T. Prompt)