Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Charing Cross Theatre, London
Dark of the Moon is a supernatural tale of witchcraft, small-town prejudices, forbidden romance and the power of faith. This spellbinding new musical portrays the clash of two dynamically polarized worlds—a charming rural Appalachian town and the mystical world of witches and warlocks from the Smoky Mountains that loom high above. Two young lovers—a girl and a warlock—find each other and defy their communities’ entrenched prejudices to build a life together. But, with that, they must face a heartbreaking ultimatum, because although true love can heal a great divide...sometimes it is the cause.
Really dark musicals are far and few between in the current theatrescape, and they just so happen to be my favourite genre so this adaptation of a 1942 play by Howard Richardson and William Berney was always set to be a surefire success with me. And that it was.
Dark of the Moon follows the story of Barbara Allen (Lauren Jones) and John the Witch Boy (Glenn Adamson). John can only visit human girl, Barbara Allen, in her dreams until he strikes up a deal with a Conjur Woman (Josie Benson) to become human. But much like any dark magic, the deal comes with a price: if either of the pair are unfaithful to one another in their first year together, John must return as a witch and consequences will ensue for Barbara Allen. John accepts the deal without question and the majority of the production then follows the couple in their first year together, as John navigates how to be a human alongside Barbara Allen. With neither having felt they ever fitted in with their respective upbringings, the pair finding their home within each other is hopelessly romantic.
"Being human is heartbreak" is the tagline of the production that runs throughout the show heavily. And while it may at first seem bleak, the show explores the human condition in great depth and highlights that yes, while heartbreak is part of being human, there are so many layers to unravel and the complexity of humanity comes with both negative and positive emotions. Watching John discover this throughout his arc in the show is devastatingly beautiful. The message of the material is clear and with lines woven throughout such as "love can heal, but hate can kill", it makes the ending even more impactful.
The attempts at humour throughout the show is as dark as the show itself, which landed well with me but not so much for others. When one of the witches claims she's only ever attended a funeral, and not a wedding, another witch quips back with "it's the same thing but for two people". The dark humour sat as well with me as the dark love story.
The music and lyrics from Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett and Steve Robson is the highlight of the show (besides the chemistry between Lauren Jones and Glenn Adamson that is!). The music and lyrics, paired with the vocal powerhouses of Jones and Adamson, feels like you've ascended into musical theatre heaven. Jones' performances of "Wildflower" and "Unthinkable" are mesmerising and full of raw emotion. Adamson, as always, shines brightest during rock numbers like "Certified Rockstar", but the performance that moved me to tears was the quietly beautiful "I'd Die For You." The chemistry between the leads is palpable and remains consistent and worth rooting for throughout. Josie Benson's performance is also worthy of a mention, who provides truly jaw-dropping vocals in her role as Conjur Woman.
The production design from Libby Todd is incredibly effective at transporting us to a rural Appalachian town and the choice to have the witches doused with purple lighting (Jonathan Chan) atop the roofs for the majority of the production was fantastic at keeping them as mystical and ethereal beings. They had an almost Dracula's bride-esque quality about them.
With the townspeople singing folk and the witches singing rock, it's understandable why some people may have felt a disconnect as the two genres are starkly different and appeal to very different audiences, but to me it only highlighted further the extreme divide between the two groups of people and the prejudices both groups had of the other.
The runtime of the production did feel slightly long for the material, and there were a few sound issues throughout press night, but with the show running until August at Charing Cross Theatre, there's time for those to be ironed out.
Dark of the Moon isn't a love story, it's simply a story about love and the human condition. It's tortured. Harrowing. Dark. And devastatingly romantic. The vocality is second to none and the entire ensemble make this piece what it is.
You can book tickets to Dark of the Moon, here.
**photo credit: Tom Bowles**
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