Review: Beautiful Little Fool (Southwark Playhouse Borough)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️

Last summer, the party kept roaring on as the latest musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby crossed the pond to enjoy a limited run in London. 100 years since it was written, it proved there was still a huge appetite for the classic story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. But what happened when the party was over? That’s the question asked in the new musical Beautiful Little Fool, stretching beyond the Roaring Twenties to examine the man behind the story as well as his family. The question is - would the world premiere of this musical be beautiful, or would the whole affair prove more foolish?

Beautiful Little Fool tells the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, told through the eyes of their adult daughter, Scottie. As she celebrates her 48th birthday, she comments that she has now surpassed the age at which both of her parents had died, but she has far from forgotten them, and takes this moment to look back on both of their lives from their first meeting, the birth of Scottie herself, and right up until their last breaths.

It is an intriguing premise, and one that has no shortage of potential. Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t quite pay off in a largely uneven production that struggles with its own identity. The book by Mona Mansour shows promise, but the whole idea feels tonally off. Though he is the most well-known character in the show, the role of F. Scott Fitzgerald himself is woefully underwritten, receiving the least stage time and very little to be discovered about him. If the intent was to amplify the women’s stories so they don’t sit in the shadows of the men, that is an admirable approach, but one that does not come to fruition, as both Zelda and Scottie also suffer from one-dimensional characterisations that fail to allow much to be revealed about either of them. The story jumps around quite confusingly, making it extremely hard to follow if you haven’t already done your research on the entire Fitzgerald family, with certain moments making no sense and feeling as if elements have been constantly rewritten until they ran out of time and were forced to stage it in whatever unfinished state it is in.

Though the book isn’t without its problems, it is much stronger compared to the largely underwhelming songs that fill the musical. With music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau, they are just not good enough in any shape, with simplistic and unexciting melodies, meaning the songs just plod along without any real impact. It is the lyrics that prove to be the biggest problem, however. Lines are repeated over and over again in pretty much every song, with some overdoing this to the extent it becomes incredibly irritating. It shows a laziness and acts as a disservice to the quality that is clearly intended in this musical. Rather than forming the heart of the show, the songs feel more like incidental music, never capturing your attention and fading into the background. The main problem in Beautiful Little Fool is it lacks originality and identity, never knowing what it wants to be, and that is rather sadly reflected in its subpar material. One song bears more than a passing resemblance to ‘Didn’t I See This Movie’ from Next To Normal, with its similar theme from the character singing it, making this feel less like a coincidence. Some of the songs do have potential; however, with ‘Built To Last’, the standout song by a mile, showcasing what could have been had more time and care gone into the crafting of these songs. Given the poor and repetitive nature of the lyrics, I believe these songs would have been largely lifted if somebody had collaborated with Corneau on this element.

One impressive aspect of Beautiful Little Fool is the set design by Shankho Chaudhuri. By far the largest I have ever seen in the intimate Southwark Playhouse Borough, it proves incredibly detailed in its precision, with its grand nature feeling as if it belonged more on a West End stage as opposed to here. Admirable and ambitious as this staging is, it is arguably too big for the space and raises the question of whether shows should be building sets for the space they are in, as opposed to the space they want to be? By being too close to the action, it never quite allows the stunning set to come alive as it would in a space that fits it more appropriately. The same can be said for Ben Stanton’s intricate lighting design. Though it is expertly done, it is too much for such a small space, blinding the audience due to its close proximity in certain moments.

Though some of the creative aspects are strong in their own right, together they speak to one of the biggest problems of Beautiful Little Fool -it just doesn’t know what it wants to be. The lack of cohesiveness can largely be attributed to Michael Greif’s direction, failing to understand the space he is in and allowing all of these elements to come together. I get the impression that behind the scenes may not have been completely harmonious, and there may have been disagreements on how best to stage this musical, and that is clear in the confusing realisation of it. Though Beautiful Little Fool runs at a singular act of just over 90 minutes, it suffers from a huge pacing problem, meaning time goes incredibly slowly. It does pick up a bit towards the end, with the last part of the show in much stronger shape than all that has come before, but it does feel a bit too little too late. Blocking feels off at times, with awkward silences and pauses giving the sense that this is a far from polished production. The result is a disappointingly chaotic series of events that feels oddly cold, where emotion should be flowing, and clueless about its own identity. It may know the story it wants to tell - the problem is it doesn’t know how to tell the story or even why.

The one element of Beautiful Little Fool that can’t be faulted is the cast, miraculously elevating the questionable material and making the show somewhat enjoyable, thanks to their talents alone. Writer Hannah Corneau usually plays the role of Zelda, but was replaced at this press night performance by her cover, Amy Parker. Once again proving the talents of swings and understudies, and why they are such a vital part of this industry, she gave a consistently strong performance, showcasing sensational vocals and a magnetic stage presence that would have never let on that she wasn’t the main actress for the role, had there not been notices dotted around the theatre.

David Hunter has proven time and time again what a magnificent actor he is, so it is disappointing that he is largely sidelined during this production, never quite giving the opportunity to shine. When Hunter is front and centre, his turn as F. Scott lifts the material, and his vocals soar on numbers ‘Flow’ and ‘The Lost Generation’ but even he can’t distract from the disappointing quality of the songs. The standout among the cast is Lauren Ward for her riveting performance as Scottie. Though the character is underwritten, Ward is a consummate professional and can make even the most mundane of moments captivating, such is her immeasurable talent. Chief to this is her unrivalled ability to emote and connect with material, even if it isn’t deserving of this emotion. As the show roared to its climax, the tears streamed down her face in a devastating fashion, leaving me even sadder that there was no emotional connection with the audience in the material itself. When Lauren Ward cries, I want to cry with her - unfortunately, this time I was crying for another reason altogether.

I take no joy in criticising a musical as much as I have done with this one. The world of theatre is far richer with the presence of new shows, and though not all of them can hit as they should, I always value the attempts to try. There is also the case that not every show is going to get it right the first time, and even some of the biggest hitters weren’t without their stumbling blocks. With that in mind, it’s worth reiterating that this production of Beautiful Little Fool is a world premiere. This review isn’t to say it can’t pull itself together and find itself in a much better shape, giving the audience the experience they deserve and enjoying success in the future - It just means it isn’t there yet. The biggest challenge in this show is to find its own identity - once it has done that, I believe all the other elements will fall into place. Currently, it feels rough, repetitive and unfinished, but ensuring the right people are on board and not being afraid to collaborate to help lift the material could see Beautiful Little Fool roaring on in the future. For now, however, this uneven musical is anything but Great.

Beautiful Little Fool plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 28th February. Tickets from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/beautiful-little-fool/

Photos by Pamela Raith