Review by Daz Gale
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Theatre is great for escapism when the frustrations of current world events can get too much. How did I escape on a day when the news was full of Trump’s horrifying antics when meeting another leader? By seeing a play about one of the world’s most tyrannical and dangerous rulers. The irony is not lost on me. In The Score, we travel back to the 1700s to witness an explosive meeting between two powerful greats at the time – one of whom seems to be consumed by power and unwilling to see reason or any compassion whatsoever. Thank God that was nearly 300 years and things are a lot better now! But would The Score prove to be music to my ears, or would it just be a lot of noise?
Based on a real encounter in 1747, The Score sees the legendary composer Johann Sebastian Back travel to Potsdam in Prussia to meet Europe’s most ambitious leader, Frederick II, now known as Frederick the Great. Two wildly different men, what starts as a seemingly harmless invite for Frederick to meet someone he is in awe of suddenly takes a turn when an attempt to trick Bach sees the composer call the King out for the atrocities being committed at the time.
Written by Oliver Cotton, The Score is a slow-burn of a play. Act one suffers from a pacing problem, taking too long to set the situation up and running the risk of people losing interest throughout. Act two proves a lot stronger, however, as the action proves a lot more exciting. One pivotal scene between the two leading men towards the close of the second Act proves incredibly tense and by far the greatest scene in the play. However, it then outstays its welcome with subsequent scenes that fail to match the genius of that moment, again suffering from a pacing issue in a play that runs the risk of outstaying its welcome, probably being about 20 minutes too long.
Cotton’s writing, while decent enough, does prove uneven throughout. Many of the jokes fall flat, eliciting a small titter from several audience members, but never the response I imagine was anticipated. Dialogue can prove clumsy and clunky, never quite feeling natural with a tone that seems to shift constantly. Moments in the play are mentioned and then seemingly never mentioned again with setup that lacks a payoff. There are moments where Cotton’s writing can truly shine, however, most notably in that key scene between Bach and the King. This is where Cotton has struck gold, though struggles to recapture these dizzying heights in the next meeting between the pair – a choice I found to be a misstep, as the play had already reached a satisfying conclusion in my eyes.
Trevor Nunn’s direction impressively navigates the changing scenes with style and flair, making up for the uneven nature of the writing somewhat by still retaining a show interesting and enjoyable to watch, particularly in the show’s far stronger second act. Not every moment lands, however, with a baffling choice to have one of the cast playing an instrument in a partially obscured box in the audience despite the cast not playing instruments on stage for the remainder of the play a prime example of this. Design elements also proved underwhelming at times, with the sparse stage never quite being filled and an unfinished nature to the scenes in Bach’s house. That said, Robert Jones’ costume design is far greater, always beautiful to look at.
If there is one reason to see The Score, it is to witness the force of nature that is Brian Cox in his second West End play in a year. As Bach, he once again showcases what a phenomenal actor he is in a characterisation full of heart, humour and humanity. If Bach was a genius in his field, so too is Cox, who elevates material that can often be subpar to make The Score seem more consistent than it actually is. Stephen Hagan holds his own against such a titan in a wonderfully exaggerated turn as Frederick, though it was oddly reminiscent of King George III in Hamilton through some of the choices and mannerisms. Sadly, he didn’t break out into a performance of ‘You’ll Be Back’ though.
Though the show is weighted on Bach and Frederick, the rest of the cast hold their own in supporting roles with Juliet Garricks a highlight as Emilia in a character that starts off rather insignificant but comes into her own as the actions of the play progress. Though her stage time is comparatively fleeting, Nicole Ansari-Cox gets one of the highlights in the opening moments of Act Two as Bach’s wife, Anna, who proves she may have been left behind but is certainly not forgotten. Jamie Wilkes gets moments to shine as Bach’s son Carl, though suffers from an underwritten, fairly one-dimensional character, while Peter De Jersey is scene-stealing in his brief moments as Voltaire.
Feeling like a work in progress but one that is far from finished, The Score has plenty of potential but is not the best version of itself as yet. Though the writing shows moments of genius and the leading performance from Brian Cox is as exemplary as you would hope, not all of the elements work in harmony. Similar to Bach as he faced Frederick’s conundrum to seemingly add something impossible to his writing, this writing too could have used with a bit more time to find a way to make all of this tie together beautifully. Though still enjoyable enough, it is far from a masterpiece, meaning when it comes to my star rating, it has to get a rather middling score.
The Score plays at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 26th April. Tickets available here
Photos by Manuel Harlan