Welshman Peter Karrie is internationally famous in musical theatre. Having played Lloyd-Webber’s Phantom more often than any other performer, he began to see parallels with the life of Rasputin. He researched and became fascinated to the point where he has written a musical based on the life of the Russian mystic. An Arts Council Wales grant and support from Making Music Wales has permitted the project to be workshopped to full performance status. This is underway with a team of professionals and RWCMD students. I accepted an invitation to observe and give feedback on the creative process, as part of the Third Age Critics project.

 On Twitter, there’s a photo captioned Rasputin cast happy to be back in rehearsals. Having sat-in  on a half a day workshop, I would say they are absolutely buzzing.  Professional actors and  students alike were  welcoming, as were  project officers,  actresses  waiting to rehearse and an unassuming  Peter Karrie, who came bearing refreshments.

En route to the rehearsal studio, Director Angharad Lee gave me an outline of the plan for the morning.  They would be rehearsing a section called Saviour of Russia. Prince Yusupov, Rasputin’s eventual assassin, has become obsessed with him, after consulting him for a release from homosexuality. Today’s scene was to be set in a transvestite club. Prince Yusupov would imagine having an affair with Rasputin and there would be overtones of S&M.

The room was all wooden floor and wall mirrors, furnished only with a piano, a small desk and two chairs , one of which was for me. The pianist was at his piano. Ten other young men,  were doing warm-up exercises, each following his own sequence  unselfconsciously, like limbering-up for a gym session. One  went into a corner and started vocal warm-ups. No-one even glanced his way.  At his feet  someone   walked on all fours with limbs at angles,  like  an oversized tarantula. This spider then resumed man-shape, stood at the front and called for attention.  He was Phil Williams, a movement expert (a sort of choreographer extraordinaire, the idea being that actors tell a story through movement and that thoughts can start in the body).  He led the others through   warm-up exercises, so now they were all following the same sequence.  They  looked ready for a day of athletics, but were told they were to play out scenes in the club the Director had described .

First they had to learn how to move more like women than men. Phil described with his own body the differences in walking, standing, moving. He invited them to try the more feminine way, twirling, walking lightly, carrying their weight high, using their arms. No-one sniggered or resisted.  Indeed throughout the day the level of co-operation and willingness was 100%.  These people trusted each other and all wanted to get things right. Despite the nature of the material, they had fun without any crudeness.  At first they looked awkward; these men looked like athletes and the mincing did not come naturally. Phil kept  them going, they were in a tin of red paint, they were green paint and outlining each movement in green. They twirled awkwardly and then suddenly, one was transformed…..he and his body had “got it”. Then  another changed and two others began to look feminine.  Clearly the leader had seen it too and stopped everyone to explain by use of photos the sort of tableaux drag artists would have staged in the clubs. They were to be stylish; upmarket.

Things began to come together. This was not a rehearsal of a set scene, it was a workshop at which actors, Director and choreographer were making a scene to interpret the score. The pianist was so good he was completely unobtrusive. Now the vocal warm-up man became Prince Yusupov and was swooped on by the others to be taken into the club. Once there, he sang as they dressed him from wig through  long gloves, to stilettos ……..all mimed (there were no props or costumes )but done so well  I could see one actor holding a shoe.  More tableaux followed, with pairs acting out possible killings; acting out fantasies which excited and inspired Prince Yusupov to the point where he knew he could kill Rasputin. When they repeated it, they all sang and the added depth this gave to the performance was tremendous.

This is powerful, strong dark musical drama……no froth on this double espresso. It is a production to look out for.