A talented cast and some terrific songs can't quite rescue this ambitious but muddled musical, whose political satire is overwhelmed by misplaced melodrama. Rating
OK
Refreshingly frank programme notes explain that this first production of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s Nero has had quite the journey to Elephant & Castle. Initially conceived during the imperial days of George W. Bush’s war on terror, it gained little traction in New York beyond a few workshops. Only now, after South Korean producers showed interest and presumably bankrolled the venture, has it landed in London. Just in time, it has to be said, to mock 2026’s Trumpian values.
The show’s satirical elements are by far its strongest; however, they have to fight through a heap of drama with a capital D. Most notably, we experience Nero’s tortured relationship with his mother, Agrippina. Problematically, the show can’t decide whether it is playing Oedipal lust for laughs or not. It’s a bold musical that gives its Act 2 love duet to a mother and son, and yet here we are. Predictably, Nero eventually murders dear Mama, his half-brother and his lover, carrying, perhaps, his heir. He persuades his philosopher adviser to commit suicide. Then his adopted sister and wife (they’re the same person!) suffers two baby losses before bringing things to a dramatic conclusion of her own.
This grisly tale is told through a confusing mash-up of ideas. The costumes are largely Roman, except for Nero, who ends up looking like David Bowie. Then we get pistols, suitcases, and an unearned final plot twist that screams the present. The language, too, is contemporary. Except when Greek (not Roman) drama is called upon, or Shakespeare is quoted directly. Brutus famously betrays a different Caesar, though.
The production is stripped back. The band sits on a balcony high above the action, and the first half takes place pretty much on an empty stage, with red velvet curtains framing the action. The second act then dispenses with the red velvet, leaving a mirrored back wall and the feel of a rehearsal studio. It’s easy to see why the action, especially the dialogue scenes, seems a bit one-note. It all feels unambitious and constrained. With limited resources, Lindsay Posner‘s direction leaves the cast simply entering, decrying, and leaving a few times too often.
I, of course, need to talk about the music. Especially as Tony Award-winning composer Sheik sadly passed away this September. There are some great songs. Sater’s equally Tony-recognised skill as a lyricist is also still very much evident. I enjoyed their work in Act Two more than Act One, entering the ‘Mind of Nero’ and experiencing ‘Ghost in a Box’. Fans of Spring Awakening, the pair’s 2006 seminal musical, will leave satisfied with tunes to hum on the way home.
The cast, too, largely shines, with a particularly enjoyable mix of accents. This is a mid-Atlantic, London-Broadway crossover. Andrew Barth Feldman, a Broadway import as Nero, is best as a nebbish man-child. Our very own Sally Dexter is a delight as his over-attentive mother. Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky is a foxy Poppea, bringing genuine rock star vibes to her numbers.
So, where does it all go wrong? Ultimately, Nero can’t decide whether it is a biting political satire, a psychological tragedy, a crude vaudeville comedy or a no-holds-barred rock musical. Each offers flashes of brilliance, but they compete rather than complement one another, leaving a talented cast and some terrific songs fiddling away while the show burns around them.
Book and Lyrics: Steven Sater
Music: Duncan Sheik
Director: Lindsay Posner
Set & Costume Designer: Georgia Lowe
Choreographer: James Cousins
Musical Supervisor, Vocal Arranger and Co-orchestrator: Phil Bateman
Musical Director and Co-orchestrator: Ben McQuigg
Lighting Designer: Robbie Butler
Sound Designer: Tony Gayle
Producers: Park Myung-Sung and Seensee Company
Nero plays at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant until Saturday 5 December.
