Like Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera, Tiger Bay the Musical is a spectacular work that flirts with opera, affording its vocalists ample scope to show their mettle. As such, it has plenty to offer lovers of lyrically expressive music: Daf James’s score is replete with soaring choruses and tender arias.
Content-wise, it is more than ambitious, combining moral and social issues with multi-layered human drama. Gavroche meets Little Orphan Annie against a backdrop of socio-political unrest, child and gender abuse, racism, corruption, chauvinism, xenophobia and massive economic inequality.
All of which is sickeningly familiar to contemporary South African audiences.
Faced with such a daunting hybrid, directors Melly Still and Max Barton have managed to forge an appealing production well served by its shrewdly-cast executants. Anna Fleischle’s vast, austere set and Joshua Carr’s dramatic lighting contribute effectively to convey the ambience of this work.
Not for nothing is it named after a place rather than one of the protagonists, since this early 20th century Welsh dockland has a vitality and distinctive character to equal and even surpass those of any player in the drama unfolding within it.
The players have an almost archetypal quality. They include Themba, the migrant from South Africa with nothing to lose; the third Marquess of Bute, an aristocrat of immense wealth, out of touch with the workers who generate that wealth; Rowena, a working-class girl of unusual spirit who confronts and challenges social injustice; Cradock, a cynical villain whose turpitude is matched by that of the cowardly Seamus O’Rourke; and central to the action is the cocky, street-wise urchin Ianto.
Each of the actors filling these roles shows both dramatic and vocal proficiency, none more than Owen-Jones, (Bute) whose remarkable bari-tenor effortlessly navigates the challenges of his solos.
Opening night brought 11-year-old Ruby Llewelyn to the role of Ianto, which she tackled with strident confidence. Tamba, as Themba, finds the exact measure of his complex persona: by turns bitter and tender, courageous and despondent, submissive and rebellious.
Bebb’s Rowena is plausible and personable, but she could work on the clarity of her diction; some of her words were lost due to hasty delivery on opening night. Noel Sullivan, as O’Rourke, gives a polished portrayal of an antipathetic character, as does Andrew Laubscher (Cradock).
A neat cameo is provided by Busisiwe Ngejane as the prostitute Klondike Ellie, a strong but understated presence in Tiger Bay society. Veteran Judy Ditchfield is excellent in her dual roles of the evil Leonora Piper and Bosun, switching seamlessly from one to the other.
With its huge tableaux, powerful imagery and arresting melodies,Tiger Bay the Musical has the potential to rival other works in this genre. One senses that this may be simply the first if impressive draft of a musical with much to say and some way still to go.