Street Scene, Young Vic - review

Neighbourliness thrives: gossip and ice cream are the twin currencies of the tenement
10 April 2012

Street Scene is the fruit of an ambitious collaboration between composer Kurt Weill, poet Langston Hughes and playwright Elmer Rice. Weill described this 1947 melodrama as "an American opera", and there are elements that call to mind Puccini and even Wagner, though the idiom hops from blues and jazzy numbers to Broadway extravaganza.

The setting is a brownstone tenement on New York's Lower East Side during two blistering summer days. Amid the perspiration and poverty, neighbourliness thrives, fuelled by the twin currencies of gossip and ice cream.

Initially we see loosely connected sketches of immigrant life. As these merge, the story focuses on the unfortunate Maurrant family: we discern the threat of violence and a powerful vision of unrequited love.

The storytelling is sentimental and episodic. John Fulljames's vigorous, bustling interpretation (seen here three years ago) compensates for some of the deficiencies of the writing. But those deficiencies are clear: an overlong first act, pedestrian lyrics and an addiction to soapy cliché.

The scale of this revival, which will tour nationally next month, is impressive. There are generous performances: Elena Ferrari is warm as the troubled Anna Maurrant, and Susanna Hurrell affecting as her daughter Rose, who has to contend with the interests of her boss and her wholesome, nerdy friend Sam (Paul Curievici). John Moabi and Kate Nelson also stand out in one pulsatingly sensuous sequence.

There's effusive playing by the BBC Concert Orchestra under Keith Lockhart and impassioned work from a total of 80 singers. The Young Vic's acoustics don't always serve them well; some of the lyrics are buried beneath the music. But the conviction of the ensemble is palpable.

Until October 1 (020 7922 2922, youngvic.org)

Street Scene
Young Vic
The Cut, SE1 8LZ

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