Gone With the Wind – previews
** Book Gone with the Wind musical theatre break tickets **
Almost as long as the war?
The first preview of Trevor Nunn’s production of Gone With the Wind at the New London Theatre was a marathon session for both cast and audience.
Supposed to be running at 3 hours and 45 minutes – the actual running time was 4 hours and 10 minutes including the interval. The curtain finally came down at 11.40pm! Not everyone in the audience made it, with some very early departures and over 100 empty seats by the end.
What to cut?
The first half could be trimmed. As it stands it is perhaps more of a play with music than a musical. There is at least 20 minutes of straight dialogue at one point. There’s also some 3rd person narration which slows things up and doesn’t add much. They seem to have fallen for the trap of telling the audience rather than showing. The music and lyrics in the first act also need tightening up. The second half is much stronger with less dialogue, better songs, and generally more impact.
Performances
Jill Paice was on stage for all of the first act and most of the second, she must have been exhausted! By all accounts her performance was brilliant. Darius Deanesh, with his imposing height and stage presence made a strong impact. Natasha Williams as Mammy had more to do than you might have anticipated, as does Jina Burrows as Prissy, with the black characters at times seeming stronger and more real than the ’stars’.
Madeline Worrell’s character Melanie seems to need more work. It must be hard to make the ‘boring’, ‘goody two shoes’ Melanie interesting especially as Scarlet get all the best songs and most of the best lines.
The Staging
The stage thrusts out into the audience with two moving sections which are pushed on and off by stage hands. Get an idea of what I mean by watching Gone with The Wind Making The Musical the video:
Conclusion?
It’s a preview 
There’s lots still to do and apparently Sir Trevor was seen frantically scribbling all through the first half. There will be cuts, scenes tightened, performances polished. I’d definitely wait until after press night on April 22nd before seeing Gone with the Wind.
We saw it on Friday 18th. It’s probably shorter than the early previews but i’m afraid we bailed out at half time. Music pretty dull, sets lumbering and gloomy. I seem to remember that Southern Mansions have white columns etc., not all gloomy browns. The burning of Atlanta was frankly risible. We have seen better pyrotechnics at our local am-dram theatre. It’s the relentless narration telling you what you are already watching on stage that finally gets to you.
Jill Paice works so hard with really very mediocre songs. The songs never move the plot along – they are just rather trite songs. Darius is – well Darius … The slaves sang well and their ensemble pieces were probably the best thing in the first half.
Sorry, but it we felt it was not and probably will never will be worth spending £30 and 3 and a half hours to see a strange hi-bred of the film film and book. A Musical it certainly aint.