Zorro: leaving a mark on Jack and Nicci

On Tuesday 15 July, UK Tickets’ Jack and Nicci attended the glitzy premiere of new musical Zorro at the Garrick on Charing Cross Road. Not knowing what to expect at all, Zorro is the best surprise we’ve had in a long time. Tight, slick and well rehearsed, Zorro at the Garrick is a lively, energetic and uplifting story with comedy, romance, fantastic music and of plenty rope-swinging, sword-brandishing derring-do.

A huge surprise was the equally high standard of acting, singing and dancing as so often in musicals one or more of these factors is compromised. Zorro appears to have picked the best for everything it needed. It finds its leads in Matt Rawle, who gave an acclaimed performance as Che in the Adelphi’s recent revival of Evita, and Emma Williams, whose excellent turn in the title role in Desperately Seeking Susan brought the house down at the Novello last year.

The superb acting means the characters are established virtually as soon as they appear on stage. The audience is instantly on Diego’s side, and Luisa’s transition from innocent child to headstrong heroine is effortlessly smooth. In these roles, both Rawle and Williams give powerful and evocative vocal performances too, with their respective solo numbers adding depth to their characters.

The rest of the cast are equally impressive. Lesli Margharita makes an astounding West End debut with a powerhouse performance as loudmouthed gipsy queen Inez and Nick Cavaliere is genuinely moving as the downtrodden yet hilarious Garcia. Adam Levy is fantastically evil as the tyrannical Ramon, evident in the enthusiastic jeering he got during the curtain call.

Eye popping choreography and the ebullient and timeless Latin rhythms of the Gipsy Kings punctuate key plot points, making each event a mini-cliffhanger, grabbing more of your attention every minute. Choreographed by flamenco legend Rafael Amargo, the dancing is executed faultlessly by a fantastic and tireless ensemble which includes classically trained dancers and singers from Madrid and Barcelona who make the whole experience authentic and very easy to engage with.

On the downside, the show was three hours from beginning to end. However, Zorro is officially just over an hour and a half long and the interval was extended on press night, probably to give attending Gipsy Kings time to pose for photos with fans, and to give Bruce Forsyth time to finish his ice cream without spoiling his super-sharp moustache. On a normal night you should be out just after ten, although the show itself is so slick and fast paced, it only seems to last about half an hour.

The concept of Zorro has been done so many times, it’s almost a cliché and this show knows it. While poking fun at the mystery of the mask and the frequent rope swinging, the brilliantly executed and strong script loses none of its romance through its comedy and the show is still a swashbuckling, action packed adventure.

In short, Zorro is the whole package, and what anyone could be looking for in a musical. Neither exclusively for girls or boys, there is eye candy for both, there’s romance, comedy and action. Zorro is a foot stamping and exhilarating experience unlike anything else the West End currently has to offer. Viva el Zorro!

For your tickets to the fantastic musical Zorro at the Garrick Theatre, click here.

Posted by Jack and Nicci on Wednesday 23rd July 2008 at 10:41AM