Written & Directed by Julia Robertson
Orchestrated & Musically Directed by Zara Stanton
4 May, 2023
Produced by Little Eggs Collective
Hayes Theatre
Aisle Seats, Row F
Metropolis is a world premiere musical based off of Thea Von Harbou’s 1925 novel, which also inspired the silent film by Fritz Lang. The film was very long, and very stylised. I think it was produced during the Weimar era in Germany, and “trippy” is the only way I can describe it. I didn’t know what I was going to encounter when seeing this production.
I can best describe my experience by an interaction at the intermission. One of the attentive bartenders asked, as she poured me a glass of Shiraz, if I was enjoying this show. I was surprised to find I couldn’t answer immediately. The quality of the music was fantastic, the cast delivering breathtaking performances, and I wasn’t bored at all – I think I struggled to answer because it’s a bit more intellectual and avant garde, so ‘enjoy’ isn’t the word I’d use. Curious and impressed are probably better ways to describe my feeling at that point in the show.
I would describe watching Metropolis as I would consuming a decadent dessert adorned with smears of caramel sauce, raspberry coulis and heavy creme. There’s no question that it’s delicious, but the richness and complexity must sit on your palate before it can be adequately described. But once you find the words, “yummy”, “delicious!”, and “oooooh soo good!” are sure to be among them.
Music
The musical composition is amazing. This is what I was most excited for – how they would translate this silent film with dystopian content into a musical, and I was not disappointed. The composition and musical direction by Zara Stanton was absolutely incredible; Stanton is now on my shortlist of “whatever it is, I’ll see it” musical directors.
I’ve already put it out there that I am manifesting a cast recording immediately!
Some songs have stuck with me more than others. One was easily The Heart Machine, delivered with intensity by Jim Williams. Not only is the song an ear worm (and made for a very effective Instagram preview – I think this is what convinced me to finally buy tickets), but the intriguing movements and lighting made this a fantastical spectacle.
Act II opener Yoshiwara is a bop, and one I can see being very popular. Performed by most of the ensemble, and led by Shannon Alyce Quan, you’ll be dancing in your seats!
Another wonderful moment was Extraordinary, which, depending on the way this work may be licensed in the future, could become a go-to power ballad I’d expect to hear at Showtune Karaoke. Quan’s tone and command of her instrument was in full effect here, with this haunting melody.
I also must credit the cast with a completely a capella sequence, of harmonies, delivered powerfully over several minutes. This was such an effective and emotive moment – I can’t recall which song, but the talented ensemble will leave you astonished.
Design
Metropolis felt like a master class for anyone studying theatrical lighting or set design. The lighting was incredible. The lighting designer pulled from every lighting trick that could be used to create this strange futuristic world. Backlights, scones, illuminating panels, LED lights (look, I don’t know all the names of the types of lights, but it was effective). Typically lighting is something that goes unnoticed unless it is either very good or very bad – the lighting by Ryan McDonald falls into the former category.
The chromatic, I want to say art deco set was simple but effective. Instead of many set pieces, Set Designer Nick Fry focused on rich details. And the set colours complimented the black and gold costuming by Ella Butler. Each member of the ensemble had a unique but fascinating costume (particularly in Act II), reminiscent of the denizens of the Capitol in Hunger Games.
Kudos to Fry, Butler, and McDonald, and the rest of the creative team.
The Cast
The cast was extraordinary. At times, the production seemed to be a launch vehicle for the Shannen Alyce Quan fan club – and believe me, I’m signed up!
Quan portrayed two different characters (Maria and Robot Maria) and excelled at both. She weaved through the set, belting and crooning where needed – she has an impressive range and a soothing tone (as highlighted in the song “Extraordinary”). Prior to this I’d only seen Quan as a swing in Six (I saw her stand in for Jane Seymour), so I knew she had a great voice, but the score for Metropolis needed someone who was capable of more variety than I’d previously seen, and Quan was infinitely up to the task.
Tom Dawson (Freder) has an astonishing lung capacity—he delivered a number of monologues with what I can only imagine was the longest breath ever held. Dawson’s speech and singing voice were both stylised as well to fit the piece, and he had a number of challenging vocal moments delivered with care and precision.
When Joshua Robson (Joh Frederson) first stalks onto the set, you get ‘Scar’ (from the Lion King) vibes. So often menacing characters aren’t portrayed convincingly, but Robson was in a league of his own. His tall, lean frame was often complimented by lighting cues which exacerbated his menace – it was quite effective. His deep bass gets a moment to shine during “Hella, Help Me”, and—excuse me, I need to add another song to my list of favourites above.
Tomas Parrish (Giorgi) also has a number of stellar moments, the highlight being their downward spiral in Yoshiwara – Parrish demonstrates the ecstasy and indulgence of Giorgi in a ‘can’t-take-your-eyes-off-them’ performance. I was also impressed with their physicality, as they needed to contort their body at one stage whilst standing serenely and this was very masterfully executed.
Thomas Campbell (Rotwang) had some lovely moments, particularly in his interactions with Robot Maria. He made the most of the challenging score and delivered some powerful moments.
I won’t spoil the surprise, but there’s a moment with the cabaret singers, including Dominic Lui performing operatically (did I mention the cast is versatile and insanely talented?), accompanied by the composer Zara Stanton on accordion.
I’ve raved about Jim Williams (Grot) earlier. And truly, everyone in the ensemble had their little standout moments. It is obvious that the cast have built up significant trust and synergy to be able to so precisely execute the myriad little moments that make up Metropolis.
What Didn’t Work (for me)
The source material is not something in familiar with (I did not read the novel, and only skimmed parts of the film which is available on YouTube). This made following the narrative challenging at times.
At the intermission, it felt like they made the audience fully vacate the theatre. This didn’t seem necessary to me, as I didn’t observe any major set changes. I’d have been happier to do so if there was a greater pay off.
To borrow from some of the robot imagery of the show, it felt like a prototype, which has room for improvement and refinement. This is to be expected for new work, and especially one with such challenging source material. I have no doubt Metropolis will spark interest in future stagings, and I can’t wait to see how it further evolves over time.
I strongly recommend Metropolis if you don’t mind something a bit more avant garde and unlike your typical musical. Yes, I expect it will be produced again – it would be a tragedy if the gorgeous music was not heard again – but I wouldn’t for a second wait to book tickets if you haven’t already.