REVIEW: Roman Holiday at the Theatre Royal, Bath

In the search for titles for new stage productions the old film catalogues are providing a great source which might appeal to theatre audiences with a memory of the title. The 1953 award-winning Roman Holiday which starred Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck is the latest romantic tale to find its way to the stage. Adapted for the stage by Kirsten Guenther and Paul Blake and featuring the music of Cole Porter it provides a frivolous enjoyable evening’s entertainment. However, don’t expect the wit and innovation of say the adaption of the 1955 film The Ladykillers or the staging and brilliance of Back to the Future. 

This is a simple story. The programme suggests it is a reversed Cinderella and the script includes the heavy-handed reference “turn into a pumpkin and drive away in a glass slipper” but for those who know their pantomimes, it is more akin to the opening scenes of Aladdin with the Princess escaping the confines of her overprotective court to mingle with the ordinary town folk, meet an eligible bachelor and be pursued by two dubious policemen. The man she meets, Joe, even has a laddish mate, Irving, to assist him but the result is a bit wishy-washy! The programme also alludes to Princess Margaret, the troubled sister of our late Queen who liked a good time away from court, might even hint at press intrusion into more recent Royals and there is a rather explicit call for “closer cooperation with Europe”, but it is all so gentle that if modern references are intended they slip quietly by.

The music is pleasant and vaguely familiar and Cole Porter’s music was of course included in many films from the 1920s to the 1950s so there was a big catalogue to select from. The best-known tune is “Night and Day” from the 1932 musical Gay Divorce sung well by Joe. Indeed, most of the songs are from the thirties although “Wouldn’t it be fun” sung by the Princess was used in Porter’s last musical score for the TV version of Aladdin! They all have a melodic romantic feel even with some Jazz arrangements but feel slightly out of step with the fifties feel of the show. 

The programme also states that “the locations (in Rome) were an integral part of the film’s charm” and while the design does give a sense of fifties Italy it misses the chance to transport us to City and share the couple’s excitement at seeing the sites. Perhaps the Theatre Royal Bath’s production budgets don’t allow projection but, in this day, and age, good quality projection of film shot on location with some clever illusion of movement on the moped would have elevated the critical scene to something more interesting. Instead, they rely on a static moped, shaking hands to suggest motion, an ensemble choreography to show movement and some barely visible black-and-white stills in window frames to suggest the location. Most pantomimes do this better nowadays.

Despite these limitations, it is a good-looking show with some good comic touches in some scenes and lively and energetic choreography by Matt Cole and Jane McMurtie. It opens well with Tania Mathurin as Francesca, a nightclub singer, belting out “You do something to me” and the Princess's appearance at a bedroom window. When we meet the Princess, a charming performance from the petit Rebecca Collingwood, she quickly establishes the tension between her sense of duty and her desire for adventure and her relationship with the Countess (Richenda Carey) who organises her life. Opposite her, Michael Xavier makes an equally engaging and charming Joe, a smooth-talking journalist who lies with ease to get his story until he falls in love. They are best together in “Experiment” from Porter’s 1933 musical Nymph Errant with its scientific experiment theme being repurposed for life adventure.

It is a very well-dressed show culminating in a beautiful stylish blue gown and hat for the Princess in her press conference in sharp contrast to the more casual fifties costumes of the early scenes. There is an excellent bedsit truck for Joe and Ann’s meetings there, but later scenes are rather sketchily staged on a bare stage with the Embassy being shown simply by flown Italian and vaguely Canadian flags. It does mean the action flows slickly from scene to scene in a fast-paced two-hour show. The copper piped-edged portals frame the action and are reflected in other elements without adding to the setting.

There is very little to dislike about this show. It is well-sung, amusing and enjoyable but it feels it might have been something more interesting with stronger subplots, and better staging. For a summer’s evening, it is a pleasant view, and you just need a slice of pizza, glass of chianti classico and a cappuccino to imagine you are somewhere in Italy on holiday. 

Review by Nick Wayne

Rating: ★★★

Seat: Stalls, Row I | Price of Ticket: £47