Review of ‘The Score’: “A D-minor work”

Acting legend Brian Cox stars in this period play depicting the later life of Johann Sebastian Bach. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if this new portrayal of the celebrated composer needs to face the music.

London, 1979. A young Eastern European director was making his way to an opening night at the still budding National Theatre. It was only by the time he was on the taxi ride to the venue that he was told he would be watching a show about a composer. To say that he wanted to jump off the vehicle and be run over after hearing the news would be toning things down. “There’s nothing more boring that stories about musicians!”, he protested. “They don’t talk, they just bow their heads and make music”.

But, by the time Act One concluded, his opinions had radically shifted – he had been taken by the grip and stir of what, as he put it, was the most wonderful drama. As the curtain went down, he rushed across the auditorium to have a private chat with the author. The awe-stricken playwright gazed into the filmmaker’s deep stare, as he uttered the phrase that would change the course of his career forever. “If the second act is as good as the first, then I shall make a movie out of Amadeus“. The rest is history – well, sort of.

You may think that there’s no point in starting a review with a fun fact about a totally separate work. But in reality, both plays are more connected that you may imagine. The parallels between Amadeus and The Score are as extraordinary as they are unflattering – with the latter being the punching bag in the relationship. Both dealing with two of the greatest musical geniuses history has ever known, both portraying their associations with the royal court – and both attempting to drop the name away in order to find the man behind it.

The problem, though, is that just one of them does the right job. My expectations about this show were indeed huge – wistfully, the only thing that was even greater was my disappointment throughout the performance.

The credits suggest a much more promising evening that what we are finally given. It depicts the later life of legendary Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s made under the quasi-mythical brand of Trevor Nunn’s direction. And it stars long-time stage, cinema, and television icon Brian Cox. What could possibly go wrong? Sadly, too many things. The plot may explore the journey of one of the finest composers the world has ever seen, but the script is in need of some additional notes – and none of them are pleasant to the ear.

Written by Oliver Cotton, the premise is probably the sole savable element in the whole production. Unfortunately, none of the rest works. Often flawed and unnatural, the dialogue suffers from a severe absence of flow – overall, sounding constrained, unpolished, shallow, and on top of it, fake. Not only does it fail to evoke a credible style of speaking for its setting, it’s also incapable of showing any hints of truthfulness in its characters – all of them looking extremely archetypical and deprived of any humanity.

As a result, the entire recount makes a very artificial impression in front of its audience. Far from landing as a proper drama, many scenes bear a stronger resemblance to a documentary reenactment – presenting the events, but never offering us a heart and a soul with them. Consequently, it’s impossible for us, as viewers, to bond with the personages’ paths – an issue that’s worsened by the plot’s underdeveloped structure, lacking a better defined conflict as well as rhythm, tension, and an ending that actually feels as such.

Starring internationally acclaimed actor Brian Cox, the performances are, however, not exempt of criticism. Regrettably, the cast struggles to flaunt any specks of chemistry – with the renditions appearing to be detached from each other, and displaying such noticeable errors in their delivery, one can’t help but wonder if the piece has been rehearsed sufficiently. Its hyperbolic approach doesn’t help either – boosting the general phony vibe of their interpretation, and increasing their distance with the spectator to, eventually, an irremediable level.

There’s very little praise to spare for The Score, which mournfully plays against its title. From its not too imaginative staging (somehow operatic, but anchored in rather dated blackbox techniques) to its generally unappealing execution, the show misses every possible opportunity to exploit the blaring potential of its germinal idea. So far, incapable of striking any right chords, the piece is so many movements away from concocting the perfect fugue – and lamentably, closer to a fugue state as for how it’s been arranged.  There might be someone out there with more of a well-tempered attitude towards it. Yet, it will still strive to get enough Bach-ers.

All pictures credit to Manuel Harlan.

The Score plays at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket until 26 April. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara