Having performed myself with Imperial Productions in Hoxton Hall in 2006, I was very much looking forward to returning to the charming 19th century music hall and indeed, it proved to be the perfect setting for the Victorian-era drama of new musical The Last Maharajah. While the lack of set could have resulted in a visually dull production, in fact the natural setting, combined with Eirian Walsh Atkins’ lush period costumes, proved a delight, easily evoking the feel of the late 1800s.

Seeing the premiere of a new show is always exciting; unfortunately director David Phipps-Davis’ simple but effective production could not mask the inadequacies of the source material. Hal Davies’ book, based on real events, rolls along at a reasonable pace and manages to capture the excitement of Maharajah Dalip Singh’s quest for the Kohinoor diamond, but is hampered by clunky dialogue and unnecessary narration throughout. Jackson B Sutcliffe’s lyrics are competent if uninspiring, but it is the music by Ziggy de Voigt which really lets down the show: a mishmash of derivative and, for the most part, frankly boring tunes, and an incongruous mix of light operetta and Les Miserables-style imitation period pieces. This wasn’t helped by the poor standard of chorus singing from the ensemble, of whom a majority were admittedly trained actors rather than singers or musical theatre performers.

This was largely compensated for, however, by high quality singing and acting from many of the principals. The stand-out performance of the show came from Annabel Bates as Kitty Vaughan, a music hall performer who becomes the object of the Maharajah’s affection. Bates was convincing in a range of scenarios, initially overwhelmed by the Maharajah’s advances, then slowly becoming resentful as her freedom slips away, and immersed in grief and guilt at the passing of her best friend Pol Ashton (another strong performance, from Nicola Hornett). She sang her vocally challenging music with aplomb, skilfully blending a hearty belt with a powerful and emotive head voice.

The title role was eventually played by the director, David Phipps-Davis, after some casting difficulties and, after taking a scene or two to settle into the part, Phipps-Davis gave a pleasingly assured and understated performance, enhanced by his strong vocals. Irene Bradshaw was motherly and emotive as theatrical landlady Molly. As Irish renegade Patrick Casey, Carl Knighton displayed confidence, nuance and definite promise as a romantic lead. There were good supporting performances from Kate Parker-Frost and Teresa Jennings as Casey’s sister and mother, respectively, and from Rory McCallum as the archetypal wily Scotland Yard detective Malcolm Armstrong.

The cast were ably accompanied by pianist and musical director Leo Nicholson, and Jenny Perry’s choreography, though simple due to limited space, was enjoyable to watch, particularly the delightful music hall number “Make a Little Mischief”. Lighting was satisfactory but again restricted by the limitations of the venue.

The Last Maharajah, then, was a mixed bag, benefiting from some wonderful on-stage talent but unarguably suffering from, above all, a lack of originality, which resulted in the show being unable to fulfil its potential. If only the score was stronger – either by being more innovative or by featuring some catchier populist tunes – I could see the piece developing from strength to strength. Unfortunately though I fear it will remain an interesting project, but something of a missed opportunity.

- Dale Bassett