Review: Cable Street (Marylebone Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s always a joy to watch a new musical thrive, and with Cable Street, its third London outing was particularly timely. On the day it was announced it was crossing the pond for a run off-Broadway, it officially opened its latest London iteration at Marylebone Theatre, following two acclaimed runs at Southwark Playhouse. A show I had always wanted to see for myself but never quite managed during its previous runs, would this long-awaited visit make me feel at home, or would it struggle to get a pass from me?

The idea for Cable Street began in 2017, but it took until 2024 for London audiences to experience it on stage. The story is set in London’s East End in 1936 as Fascists start to march, resulting in one hundred Jews, Irish workers and communists uniting to blockade the road they call home. As differences are put aside to take a singular stand, the message is clear as they protest the hatred that is seeping out, in a theme that is sadly still so relevant today.

It is unfortunate that Cable Street is still such a timely story 90 years later, particularly in a week where the news has been full of harrowing images and the sense that history is repeating itself. It is the beauty of theatre to be able to escape the serious concerns of the real world and lose yourself in a story, while shining a light on real stories as Cable Street does, paying tribute to those who took a stand so their memory remains long after the people involved have passed. This is what is so admirable and quite beautiful about the story of Cable Street, and why the story and show itself have clearly resonated with so many people throughout its previous iterations.

Much of that is to do with Alex Kanefsky’s thoughtful and powerful book, sensitively telling the story while dropping in not-so-subtle hints about comparisons to the state of the world today. As we find ourselves divided by cultural differences, the heart of Cable Street reminds us of the essence of humanity, making it an extremely emotional and thought-provoking watch.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always come across in this latest iteration. Though I hadn’t seen the previous versions myself, it seemed to me as if the show had been continually adapted in the time since it was last seen, which is, of course, how shows grow and become the best possible versions of themselves. From what I saw at this performance, however, I don’t believe that this is it. Apparent revisions to the book made the tone shift clumsily along the way, leading to some slightly muddled creative choices along the way and a lack of cohesion amongst the different elements.

Where attention may have gone into ensuring certain aspects of Cable Street were at their best, it seemed that this was at the detriment of the direction that clearly suffered along the way. Though Adam Lenson is an accomplished director I have long admired, this production does not showcase him at his best. Where the space at Marylebone Theatre is a completely different configuration to how Cable Street was staged at Southwark Playhouse, not enough thought has been given to how to translate it for this different story, which led to multiple moments falling flat. This was especially noticeable in Act Two, which suffered from being under-directed - too often, cast members hadn’t been given enough detail in what to do in those moments and those scenes, with some questionable and even poor choices themselves acting as a disservice to the strong material. Overall, it was not as slick and polished as I would have liked to have seen, especially given how many people had raved about the show in its previous iterations. I got the impression I may have enjoyed the Southwark Playhouse run more than I had this, which is a shame as this is a show that deserves to get better with age - I’m confident it still will once it irons out the few missteps this production has made.

The music and lyrics by Tim Gilvin are a mixed bag. There are some truly stunning musical numbers peppered throughout, such as the outstanding ‘Stranger/Sister’ (wonderfully performed by Romona Lewis-Malley), but these are marred by some weaker numbers, such as the incredibly irritating ‘Read All About It’ numbers, making the show descend into a satirical nature - something that is at odds with the rest of the show. The biggest issue was the very clear Hamilton influences felt throughout. Though rap in musicals, of course, existed before Hamilton, too many numbers in Cable Street seemed to follow the blueprint of that musical far too closely, losing its own identity in the process. I was shocked to find certain lyrics in these Hamilton-esque songs even copying lines word-for-word from it. Whether this was accidental or intentional remains to be seen, but it lessened the overall quality of the show and gave the impression that Cable Street was suffering a slight identity crisis. When the rapping took a back seat, and the cast's impressive vocals were allowed to flourish, Cable Street soared to glorious heights. Sadly, this was usually followed by another confused-sounding rap number that always disappointed compared to the sung-through numbers.

There is a strong use of choreography from Jevan Howard-Jones, though this is inconsistent in its usage, with some numbers exhibiting intricate and impressive choreography while many others are lacking - again speaking for the under-directed quality of the piece. Yaav Segal’s set design fantastically replicated Cable Street with some smart choices (and some badly behaved doors), while Charlie Smith’s sound design ensures nothing is ever missed with every line and lyric crystal clear in their execution.

Isaac Gryn and Barney Wilkinson lead the cast with their star turns as Sammy Scheinberg and Ron Williams, respectively. While Gryn has a great stage presence, most of his numbers are the Hamilton-esque ones that don’t play to his strengths as much as they should. Wilkinson, on the other hand, delights with stunning vocals, especially on the standout Shut Me Out’.Lizzy-Rose Esin-Kelly proved the biggest standout in the cast with her magnetic turn as Mairead Kenny - though her character sometimes felt underwritten in comparison, her ability to amplify the role wowed at every turn, especially when it came to her sensational vocals in ‘Bread and Roses’.

Other members of the hard-working cast take on multiple roles, though sometimes this works at the show’s detriment, with a heart-wrenching moment involving Ethan Pascal Peters character lacking any sort of emotion or impact due to his sudden reappearance as another character moments later. Debbie Chazen is a highlight as Kathleen Kenny and Oonagh, providing some comic relief and showcasing versatility in her roles, with Jez Unwin captivating in his multiple roles. Preeya Kalidas proves another undoubted standout, delivering the vocal performance of the night with Act One finale ‘¡No pasarán!’ (‘They Shall Not Pass’ in Spanish) while Max Alexander-Taylor gets to showcase his fine musical talents on guitar and the role of Sean Kenny.

There is a beautiful story at the heart of Cable Street, and one that proves extremely relevant today. The message shines through, and the potential is clear to see, but it is muddled through some underdeveloped and confused choices prevalent throughout. I can’t compare this iteration to the 2024 version that wowed audiences, but I personally failed to feel the same way many people I had spoken to felt about this show last time. As a musical, Cable Street needs to decide on its own identity and fully embrace it, as currently it tries to do too many conflicting things, lacking the crucial cohesiveness to truly make it land. Still enjoyable enough in its own right, Cable Street may not pass with flying colours, but it still just about manages to scrape through.

Cable Street plays at Marylebone Theatre until 28th February. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/cable-street-tickets

Photos by Johan Persson