“This lively and original new musical is well on its way to hitting the castratosphere”
Imagine the pressure when your legacy is Disney’s Mulan, how do you follow such culturally impactful songs such as “I’ll make a man out of you” and “Reflection”? By composing a brand new musical about castrated male singers, of course.
Stiletto is a refreshingly original musical brought together by award winning composer and lyricist Mathew Wilder and writer Tim Luscombe. Named after the eponymous blade which is presumably both a reference to the cutthroat nature of Venetian society and the, ahem, procedure inflicted upon the boys to preserve their falsetto vocal abilities. Known as castrati, these opera singers were popular throughout 18th Century Venice, and it is here we meet our hero, castrato Marco (Jack Chambers). He performs for high society and falls in love with local-but-unknown opera singer Gioia (Jewelle Hutchinson). The rest of the plot is a mish-mash of side-stories and unfinished business.
Ceci Calf’s set is stunning, filling the small stage with brilliantly gilded arches. The 12 piece orchestra hidden at the top allows the audience to peer a glimpse of a harp or violin through smoke, adding a sense of mystery. Complimented by the incredibly sumptuous and elaborately themed costumes by Anna Kelsey, it was a visual feast.
Better still, are Wilder’s compositions. Detailed touches including Vivaldi-style strings and Sicilian tambourines ensure the music is luscious and sonically complex. The lyrics, whilst at times overly simplistic, actually remained with me after the show: high praise for an original new musical that is for once not an adaptation, jukebox, sequel or revival. Parts of it reminded me of 90s Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse songs.
Where this show struggles is the plot. The pacing is all over the place, with stilted dialogue in the transitional scenes. This is a show about singing, so why not make it a sung-through musical? Exposition is flung at you with abandon and the tone of the show is so awkwardly uneven you never really know if you’re meant to be enjoying yourself. The dark themes pervade a constantly sinister undertone of exploitation and discomfort. Topics such as racism, slavery, child abuse and sexual assault are so casually mentioned that any audience laughter felt gauche. This show needs to focus on the strong characters it merely glimpses at. Marco’s relationship with his tutor/manager/lover Faustino (Greg Barnett) implies a greater level of intrigue that is never really explored. For some reason we follow the comically evil Pietro (Douglas Hansell) as he and his wife Azzura (Kelly Hampson) try to out-scheme one another to varying results. There are even more side-characters and subplots within the large 17-strong cast, only adding clutter to the proceedings. What is also disappointing is the missed opportunity to really tell the story of the castrati. Surprisingly relevant in today’s climate regarding gender, masculinity and power, much more could have been examined. I noticed the parallels between Mulan’s “I’ll make a man out you” and Stiletto’s “What makes a man a man?”- maybe Wilder just really likes to explore gender-bending depictions of masculinity? This show is both musically and visually gifted but its talented cast are currently hampered by a script that desperately needs trimming. The second act seems to disregard the castrati element in favour of superfluous murder and fraud schemes, and a saccharine deus ex machina Disney would be proud to call a fairytale happily ever after. Stiletto is close to being a wonderfully finished product; it just needs a good script editor.