Doctor Zhivago

By Angie Bedford

Doctor Zhivago

Last night Melbourne saw the Opening Night of Doctor Zhivago – promoted with the increasingly common tagline ‘a new musical’.
You can’t get much newer than this, with the show’s World Premiere taking place in Sydney in February.

The story is based on Boris Pasternak’s 1957 novel of the same name. Audiences may also remember the 1965 film version starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. Of course, this show also has a strong historical focus, particularly on the Russia Revolution and Civil War.

Not knowing anything about the novel or film, I was please that the story was not difficult to follow, thanks to the projection dates and locations as the story moved along.

Des McAnuff’s direction is suitable efficient for a musical covering decades of history in 2 ½ hours. I do think a further rewrite should shorten or omit a few musical numbers, as the familiar narrative doesn’t need so much elaboration. Some of the minimal dialogue is a little awkward and clunky in comparison to Michael Korie and Amy Powers’ lyrics.

Doctor Zhivago tells the story of five central characters, who all cross paths throughout the early 20th Century when Russia experiences a Great War, a Revolution and a Civil War. Yurii Andreyevich Zhivago (Anthony Warlow) begins this story as a young Moscow Doctor, who marries his childhood sweetheart and friend Tonia Gromeko (Taneel Van Zyl).

 At announcement of their engagement, Zhivago encounters the remarkable Lara Guishar (Lucy Maunder) and becomes passionately fascinated with her, as told in ‘Who is She?’ Lara later marries Pasha Antipov (Martin Crewes), a revolutionist, who is devastated to hear of Lara’s sexual abuse as a young girl at the hands of Viktor Komarovsky (Bartholomew John). The five all meet again in various situations as Russia declines, and Lara and Zhivago fall in love.

The narrative itself certainly isn’t new to the musical theatre stage, with a number of similarities between Doctor Zhivago and other musicals, such as Les Miserables’ revolutionaries and Miss Saigon’s meeting between the wife and the other woman. Doctor Zhivago adopts this tried and true formula of love against all odds, with a nod to the perils of war, no matter the class of victims.

With top billing in a role written for him, Anthony Warlow exceeds expectations as Zhivago. His portrayal was well rounded, creating an endearing character as both generous medic and troubled poet. The songs suited him to a tee, and he was at his best in ‘Now’ and ‘A Man Who Lives Up to His Name’.

Lucy Maunder is a lovely Lara, displaying a nice mix of spunk, smarts and sensuality. ‘When the Music Played’ was beautifully delivered, revealing Lara’s pain and awakening. Taneel Van Zyl was well cast as Tonia, I do wish she had more of a chance to explore the character, which is one dimensional in comparison to the intriguing Lara. That said, ‘It Comes as No Surprise’ displayed Van Zyl’s fine voice and Tonia’s torment well.

One of the best performances of the night was Martin Crewe’s Pasha/Strelnikov, who begins as a feisty revolutionist and eventually emerges as a desperate antagonist. He sang exceptionally well, particularly in ‘No Mercy at All’.

A standout performer was Jamie Ward as Yanko, singing a hauntingly tragic solo in ‘Forward March for the Tsar’. Ward’s Yanko became a symbol for the futilities of war and he delivered a memorable featured performance.

The lead cast is supported by quite a large ensemble who appearing in a variety of supporting roles.

There is no question that this is a dark musical focusing on an ominous period of history, but there are a few moments where Lucy Simon’s score and Michael Korie and Amy Powers’ lyrics have a lighter note such as Pasha’s ‘It’s a Godsend’, a great tongue in cheek number about Russian society. This song was also the best choreographed number (Kelly Devine) which evoked memories of the bottle dance in Fiddler on the Roof. The overall score is epic in nature and reminiscent of golden age cinema.

The most outstanding production element of Doctor Zhivago is the set, designed by Michael Scott-Mitchell. The Her Majesty’s Theatre stage is adorned with a chequer board like effect, which created a sense of vastness that contributed to the isolation and seemingly never-ending obstacles of the story. Large columns and countless walls and windows seamlessly slid in and out of the space, creating dozens of situations ranging from a glorious Moscow manor to the trenches of war.

At times a large landscape projection was used upstage to effectively enhance the settings. Less successful were large black and white projections used downstage, which although cinematic and interesting to look at, sometimes distracted from the actors. Teresa Negreponte’s costumes were suitable and able to demonstrate the affluence of Russia’s bourgeoisie as well as their decline. Overall, it is a rich visual design.

It is exciting to see a new musical in its early days, and I encourage Melbournians to head down to Her Majesty’s Theatre for a grand night out.