The Human Voice by Francis Poulenc (music) and Jean Cocteau, and The Seven Deadly Sins by Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht, make for a fascinating pairing. Both are highly theatrical, psychologically intense soprano vehicles, but in completely different ways. Both works demand considerable emotional extremes as Anna (The Seven Deadly Sins) and Elle (The Human Voice) evolve and are pushed to their limits.
It is a relief to hear both works performed in English, and the diction is impeccable throughout from all three singers, making the narratives easy to follow. Henry Grigg and Phil Wilcox both bring the right sprinkling of comic timing and, together, make the perfect judgemental family back in Louisiana.
Katherine McIndoe takes on the huge feat of playing both Anna and Elle—the perfect showcase for any soprano. Her clarity of diction is excellent, and she sings both roles with ease. Stylistically, she is more suited to the Poulenc, where her vocal line is fluid and she is clearly more dramatically convincing. Anna is somewhat more timid in its vocal delivery, where a greater use of vocal colour and a more speech-like quality would be welcome. However, McIndoe demonstrates the stamina required to carry the entire production, which is demanding to say the least.
The set is minimal and feels like it could be more imaginative for The Seven Deadly Sins; however, both works are well suited to the intimacy of the Charing Cross Theatre. The lighting feels like a bit of an afterthought, making it hard to read the city names projected onto the curtain. Musically, the use of two pianos (Adrian Salinero and Elspeth Wilkes) alongside percussion from Kepa Malgorzata is more than sufficient to create the full atmospheric experience of Weill’s score. Overall, the singing is strong, but there remains scope for the production to take greater creative risks and offer a more daring, original interpretation.
Review: Jane Wilkinson
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