This dark and daring musical comes bursting out of a tunnel at Southwark Playhouse auditioning for its West-End transfer. A witty, tender and good-looking production, Mack and Mabel has a fine score, a tight cast, full band and one big star in the making in Laura Pitt-Pulford as Mabel – who takes your heart and puts it through the wringer as she falls for loud-mouthed, workaholic director, Mack Sennett (Norman Bowman).
An homage to the golden years of Hollywood’s silent movies, the show is bright, dynamic and fun. Clever choreography, Jerry Herman’s great songs and high-energy are all there. But it’s when Mabel appears that the audience, like Mack, fall in love. This Mabel is gutsy and warm, full of emotion yet not sentimental. Pitt-Pulford attacks each song with real heart and a rich voice. Bowman’s Mack is a cooler character, although he brings charm to a tough nut of a role. He makes Mack likeable, a fond lover, and balances his harshness and romanticism. ‘I Won’t Send Roses’, he warns in one of the show’s best-known songs. But you know he will.
The second half of the story doesn’t hold the attention quite so well as it becomes more serious in tone and the songs thin out. When Mack and Mabel first opened in 1974, its dark tone and structural problems made it a hard sell to Broadway audiences. But when Mabel, broken-hearted, sings, ‘Time Heals Everything’, the song’s dark irony – and her emotional belter of a voice sends shivers down your spine.
Perversely, this sense of loss is what makes Mack and Mabel interesting. Like Gypsy and Carousel, Mack and Mabel belongs to the alternative canon of Broadway’s not-so-happy endings. At times this version could go deeper into the darkness at its heart. What it chooses to be is a touching love story about two people who just never got their timing right.
There are some flaws – such as the band levels making the second row a little too close for comfort at times. The long shallow space, although cleverly used, occasionally constrains some of the bigger dance numbers. It was a revelation to see the ten-piece band of young musicians appear at the curtain call, tucked away as they are out of sight for the entire show. Maybe if director Thom Southerland (Parade), realises his ambitions, Mack and Mabel will transfer to a bigger house. Here’s hoping.
Go now though, for a great night out and a tug on your heartstrings. ‘When Mabel comes in the room’ you’ll be glad you did too.
