Half biopic and half pantomime, parts of this play are sublime but others seem oddly out of place.Rating
Good
At the core of 7 Magnificent Egos is the relationship between Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner, two actors who were at very different stages in their careers when they appeared together in The Magnificent Seven. Both are insistent that they’ll be the greater star, and the premise is easy to believe as the performances from Simon Berry and Monos Koutsis are of cinema biopic quality, avoiding caricature and turning in remarkably subtle but refined portrayals of these two larger than life individuals.
However, it seems that playwright and director Lance Steen Anthony Nielsen hasn’t quite decided what he wants to produce here, as the show has two very distinct styles which clash in a frustratingly offbeat way. When we’re presented with the main cast of the film (also featuring Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Horst Buchholz and Brad Dexter) it’s a mixture of comedy and drama as they interact and often butt heads, but when the action includes Mexican characters it suddenly turns into a pantomime.
That’s quite a big problem as the film was shot in Mexico and there was a lot of interference from a male politician, played here by Rose Kaur with a dodgy moustache. The shift in tone makes it feel odd. There’s a running gag about the fact that Kaur is obviously female but playing a man, which isn’t funny from the get go, and one scene involving three Mexican children who all supposedly adore Charles Bronson feels like the stage has been invaded by a completely different show as the performances are so over the top.
There’s also an issue with pacing. The first act of the play involves Brynner, director John Sturges (Alex Heaton), one of the producers and a brief appearance from Anthony Quinn, but very little of note takes place. It’s material which doesn’t really need to be covered, especially as the casting of the movie essentially sees them ask an actor if they want to be in the film and they say yes. Given the 140 minute running time it could easily be cut.
The uneven quality of the show is frustrating as when the cast are all together in the second act this is often enormously compelling material. Berry and Koutsis as McQueen and Brynner have real chemistry and seeing them face off against each other is greatly entertaining. Tristan Pegg is also superb as the self-deprecating Robert Vaughn. This is an extremely well cast production in general with Tom Patrick Coley making for a highly amusing Charles Bronson, and Kaur fantastic when playing the film’s love interest Rosenda Monteros. Her disdain concerning how she is treated by the American film industry is one of the most interesting strands.
A streamlined version of this production, one which jumped straight in to the filming of The Magnificent Seven and cut all the really daft, almost Blazing Saddles style comedy, could have made this essential theatre. The manner in which these (mostly) egotistical men spar off each other is nearly always funny, and the performances are of a very high standard. But the extremely broad comedy sits uneasily, with some of the portrayals of non-American characters, making it borderline problematic. As it stands right now it’s only cautiously recommended.
Written & Directed by Lance Steen Anthony Nielsen
Produced by Simon Berry & Lance S A Nielsen
7 Magnificent Egos runs at Ye Olde Rose and Crown until Sunday 19 October.
