Finian's Rainbow

Somewhat overshadowed by the more seminal works in the cannon, Finian’s Rainbow is a little-known musical first written and performed in 1947. In the fictional American state of Missitucky the residents of Rainbow Valley are unable to work due to a drought and are facing eviction unless they can pay their quite sizeable (and overdue) taxes. The group are overjoyed when copper-haired Sharon (Christina Bennington) and her doting grandfather Finian McLonegan (James Horne) arrive from the Emerald Isle offering to pay their debts. However, matters are soon complicated when it emerges that the gold that the Irish pair used to save Rainbow Valley was in fact financed by a crock of gold stolen from a disgruntled leprechaun. In a nutshell this revival of Finian’s Rainbow is a whimsical, light-hearted work sprinkled with a couple of catchy toe-tapping musical numbers.

The score sounded strangely familiar: considering that I was hearing the songs for the first time I deduced this must be because it is musically reminiscent of more well-known works like Oklahoma! and Carousel. When Sharon begins to sing the soaring melodies of ‘How Are Things in Glocca Morra?’  her Judy Garland-esque tone instantly transported the room back to the golden age of film musicals. Bennington embodies Sharon’s doe-eyed naive nature extremely well; being Irish herself Bennington has no trouble sustaining the accent throughout. However, the same cannot be said for Horne’s hotch-potch of an accent that never quite managed to sound believably Irish. The cast’s forte was certainly their singing; this was perhaps most apparent during the gospel inspired numbers such as ‘Necessity’ – during which I thought Anne Odeke’s lead vocal really shone and was a joy to listen to.

Despite some memorable songs my main qualm with Finian’s Rainbow was that much of the humour within the piece felt dated. The sweeping racial stereotypes poking fun at the differences between Irish and American culture fell rather flat. I’m still slightly perplexed by the character of ‘silent Susan’ who, as a mute from birth, communicates solely through the medium of modern dance. That said, there was also much to enjoy about this revival. For instance, when the mean-hearted Senator Billboard Rawkins (who is trying to evict the residents of Rainbow Valley) is transformed from an affluent man of power into a ragged pauper it makes for a comical and rather literal interpretation of the saying to ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’. The children in the audience also seemed particularly taken by Raymond Walsh’s personification of the grumpy leprechaun named Og.

Although parts of Finian’s Rainbow did feel quite dated it is a feel-good family show, and if you go and see this production at the Charing Cross Theatre you will probably leave with a spring in your step and a few new songs in your heart.

Finian’s Rainbow is playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until 10 May. For tickets and more information please visit the Charing Cross Theatre website.