Stephen Ward review, Aldwych Theatre

Stephen Ward was the society osteopath who introduced good-time girls, Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davis to randy toffs at grand parties. One such toff was the Tory MP, John Profumo. The story of Christine, aged 18, running naked into his arms during a pool party at Lord Astor's country manor, is now the stuff of legend. An affair followed, but unknown to Profumo, his date was also seeing a Russian diplomat. It was 1961, the height of the Cold War, and Profumo was War Minister. No secrets were spilled but when the scandal broke, Stephen Ward was fitted up and charged with pimping, to deflect attention from the establishment. Betrayed by friends to whom he'd always been loyal, Ward committed suicide.

Pool Queue

It's a cracking story and not a natural for a musical, so it  speaks volumes that my companion and I returned home humming the tunes.  Stephen Ward contains two potential classics and a handful of catchy songs that leave you smiling. On that basis alone it's well worth a ticket. What isn't isn't so certain is what other bases there are for forking out. As Ward, Alexander Hanson looks like David Hunter in Crossroads. A little bit charming and a little bit seedy, he moves in lively circles. The Super-duper Hula Hooper dancers at Murrays are a knock-out. As for the swingers' party on Hyde Park Square, it is seared on the eyeballs. No wonder the upper classes belt out You've Never had It So Good as they whip, dip and slam their way through a tabletop orgy.

While the music and choreography are terrific, everything else in Stephen Ward is strangely one-dimensional including a flat set that adds little to the staging and nothing to the narrative. The solos lack sufficient welly. This Side of the Sky, is a soaring ballad and well sung by Hanson and the lovely Charlotte Spencer as Christine, but it didnt fly. Mrs Profumo's I'm Hopeless When It Comes To Love, a diva song needing Elaine Paige-type gusto, was thrown away by Joanna Riding.

In conclusion: If you're a fan of Lloyd Webber's sweet and lyrical compositions, Stephen Ward is a good bet, whatever the failings of Christopher Hampton and Don Black's book, and Richard Eyre's workaday direction. The cast is solid and occasionally great. It is a mix of brilliance and awfulness, a theatrical surf 'n turf, and sometimes that hits the spot.

References
Aldwych Theatre, Tickets
Stephen Ward, Background

Aldwych Theatre,  49 Aldwych,  London WC2B 4DF       Currently booking to March 2014