I’m not gonna lie, Doctor Zhivago has been one of my most anticipated musical concerts as soon as I heard who would be leading the show: Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera) and Celinde Schoenmaker (Guys & Dolls). Returning to the show following another concert rendition at Cadogan Hall in 2019, Lambert Jackson Productions has now taken the late Lucy Simon’s musical to much a bigger venue in the London Palladium for a one-night-only concert. With so much talent behind the page and stage, what did I think of it?
Doctor Zhivago In Concert
Cast
- Yurii Zhivago: Ramin Karimloo
- Lara Guishar: Celinde Schoenmaker
- Tonia Gromeko: Kelly Mathieson
- Viktor Komorovsky: Nadim Naaman
- Pasha Antipov/Strelnikov: Charlie McCullagh
- Alexander Gromeko: Cavin Cornwall
- Anna Gromeko: Emma Norman
- Olya: Maisey Bawden
- Young Yurii/Sasha Zhivago: Samuel Newby
- Young Lara/Katharina: Olivia Clark
- Young Tonia: Tilly-Rae Bayer
Rating: ★★★
What is Doctor Zhivago about?
Based on Boris Pasternak’s Nobel-winning novel, Doctor Zhivago follows the titular doctor, political idealist and poet’s life changing journey during the Russian revolution, torn between the love of his childhood friend (and wife) Tonia and the mysterious Lara Guishar.
What were my thoughts on Doctor Zhivago?
While concert versions of musicals are nothing new with the likes of Bonnie & Clyde, Sunset Boulevard and Les Miserables getting the treatment to great success, I was left questioning whether that was the right format for Doctor Zhivago. I understand the difficulties of condensing an epic 600-page novel into a two hour musical, but certain creative choices made the plot and passage of time difficult to follow in this particular concert.
If you didn’t pick it up, the example concerts I mentioned were semi-staged featuring costumes, projections and props to establish setting and characters, things I feel Doctor Zhivago also would’ve benefitted from. While the late Lucy Simon’s rousing score and the cast’s powerhouse voices were beautiful to listen to, the often repetitive songs and clunky lyrics weren’t enough to emotionally invest me in the story. Why? These were preceded by narration telling me what was happening, something which confused me as it has never been used in previous concerts. As a result, much of Michael Weller’s original book is sacrificed with few exceptions.
None of the above is to say I don’t think Doctor Zhivago works as a musical nor there wasn’t effort in the concert’s staging. Despite some sound issues throughout, Joseph Ed Thomas’ lighting and Adam Hoskin’s stunning musical direction gave the score the grandness it needed to fill the Palladium stage. However, when I had to look at the Wikipedia page during the interval to understand what was happening, the execution made me want to see how it would have played out in a fully staged show.
What was the cast like?
Doctor Zhivago’s saving grace for me was certainly the cast. Returning from the 2019 concert, leads Ramin Karimloo and Celinde Schoenmaker were as phenomenal as ever playing the titular Yurii Zhivago and Lara Guishar. Both having one of a kind voices I could listen to for days, they were able to give as much character as the script allowed them to in songs including Tears and Ashes, When The Music Played, and their love duet On The Edge Of Time. Also returning were the incredible Nadim Naaman and Kelly Mathieson as the manipulative Viktor Komanovsky and devoted wife Tonia Gromeko respectively. When all four talents joined for the rousing Love Finds You, it was easily my highlight of the night.
While Charlie McCullaugh (Bonnie and Clyde) rounded up the main characters as the complex revolutionist Pasha, the supporting cast was also wonderful. These include Cavin Cornwall and Emma Norman as Tonia’s parents, all three child performers as the young versions of Yurii, Tonia and Lara, and the uber-talented yet criminally under-utilised Maisy Bawden as Olya in her powerful number Home Where The Lilacs Grow.
Another part of the cast I must praise is the 45-piece choir consisting of the ArtsEd Ensemble. With the breadth of talent behind Doctor Zhivago on and offstage, it was amazing seeing them be platformed in such a historic theatre and give the score the grandness is needed.
What were my overall thoughts?
When I say parts of this concert didn’t work for me, I mean it in the best way because I tried so hard to like it. The score and cast were stunning and it was amazing to see it staged in such a grand venue as the Palladium. I just don’t think the execution worked in the context of Doctor Zhivago. If anything, my disappointment makes me wish we got a fully staged musical because then I could be immersed in its world and follow the parts I missed from the narration (something perhaps needed considering its leading actor has been in New York for a year). When I left the theatre wanting more, that should be a good thing.
This was the way Camelot was also done as a concert setting in the same venue last year.
I admit, I was a little lost in some parts, but I think it was more my mind wandering to the film and where those songs could’ve sat, if that makes sense?
I was just glad to see Ramin and Nadim in front of my eyes again as it had been a while ❤️
I knew about the Camelot concert but wasn’t aware it was staged in the same format, so thanks for clearing that up. I think because I grew accustomed to semi-staged concerts and knew almost nothing about Doctor Zhivago before going into it, the lack of onstage action came as a surprise and didn’t help my individual experience trying to understand the plot. Definitely felt good seeing the performers doing what they do best!