Review: SCISSORHANDZ, Southwark Playhouse
Extraordinary transformation of a cult classic film into a queer musical that is brimming with invention and affirmation.Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
This was always going to be a risky one for me. Tim Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands is my all-time favourite movie. From the first time I saw it I felt this romantic fantasy of a strange outsider struggling to make his way in conventional society was tailor-made for my sensibilities. The sumptuous gothic-meets-suburbia visuals, the perfect performances from Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest et al, Danny Elfman’s achingly gorgeous score… it all merged together to make my ideal cinematic experience.
How on Earth would I take to a gender-flipped, queered-up jukebox musical stage version? Would I recoil from its blasphemous liberties? Was I even the right person to review this show?
The first thing to say is that the original story remains intact: an Inventor in a gothic mansion (Dionne Gipson) creates a child, human in form except they have scissors for hands. Discovered by cheery Avon Lady Peg (Emma Williams), Scissorhandz is brought to the pastel-hued smalltown community of Burtonville where they are at first admired for their unusualness, but later the townspeople turn against the “freak” in their midst. Complicating matters further, Scissorhandz falls for Peg’s daughter Kim, but can love thrive between a misfit and a homecoming queen?
Scissorhandz: A Musical Reborn allayed my concerns almost immediately. All the iconography of the movie is present and correct: the Inventor’s mansion (lovingly projected, and reached by climbing a hill of speakers), Scissorhandz’ distinctive costume, the relentlessly colourful neighbours… From the first snatch of Elfman’s haunting theme music (sparingly used to excellent effect) I knew I was in safe hands: this show astonishingly succeeds in channelling the soul of Edward Scissorhands into a thrilling and remarkable new form.
Is the sass turned up to 11? You bet. Is the message of queer inclusivity slapped right in your face? Believe it, bitch! And yet the spirit of Burton’s gentle creation is unmistakable, undeniable, and held me in a grip that was both warmly familiar and excitingly new.
The use of dozens of songs including I’m Every Woman, Best Day of My Life, and With These Hands works brilliantly to bring out the emotional and humorous beats of the story, and cannily avoids the problem of the insipid original songs that weigh down most modern musicals. The tracks have been expertly arranged by musical director and band leader Gregory Nabours, who knows just when to revel in pastiche and when to let the music speak to the heart. There are some lovely cello lines, and was Radiohead’s Creep ever more aptly deployed? I think not.
Scissorhandz is stuffed full of knowing laughs and dazzling performances from a multi-rolling cast: the trio of neighbours are particularly hilarious. And the quality of the singing is absolutely top notch – most musicals have one or two stand-out voices, but here there are half a dozen.
In the romantic leads, Jordan Kai Burnett as Scissorhandz captures the physical essence of Depp’s film performance while bringing their own heart and soul to the role, and Lauren Jones’ is a captivating Kim as she cautiously explores the yearnings of her sexuality. Both are exceptionally gifted vocalists.
Writer/director Bradley Bredeweg is to be congratulated on a miracle of creativity: Scissorhandz: A Musical Reborn broke my heart and lifted my soul, honouring a treasured personal favourite and revealing a fresh and invigorating side to a story I’ve loved for a long time.
Written and directed by: Bradley Bredeweg
Music Director: Gregory Nabours
Choreography by: Alexzandra Sarmiento
Set design by: James Connelly
Costume design by: Abby Clarke
Lighting design by: Adam King
Sound design by: Yvonne Gilbert
Produced by: Michelle Visage, Lance Bass, Brian Pendleton, Kelley Parker and Bradley Bredeweg
SCISSORHANDZ plays at Southwark Playhouse until 29 March. Further information and tickets available here.