Darius's Rhett Butler Sparks Turnaround for Gone With the Wind
Few shows that open in the West End today attract such a storm of controversy as Sir Trevor Nunn's adaptation of Gone With the Wind . Darius's breathtaking performance on Wednesday night however, seems to have hushed those sterner critics.
It's no secret that the press previews for Gone With the Wind were not exactly everything that Sir Trevor had hoped for. The show was too long (45 minutes longer than billed), main cast members were struck down by a bouts of illness and certain staging effects went completely up the proverbial spout. Nunn even had to cancel an evening's performance so that vital revisions and repairs could be made at the last minute. With this of course, thanks to the whiff of catastrophe flaring some critics' nostrils, media interest began to suddenly balloon out of all control. Things, it has to be said, were looking decidedly shaky for the official opening night.
So, as the New London Theatre began to fill with the glitterati of the West End on Wednesday, a nervous calm must have hung in the air. Though not all of it positive, one thing is certain; never has such a buzz surrounded a new show like this before: not before it has even opened. This, quite simply, was show time.
Darius Danesh's electrifying performance then seems certainly to be the shot of adrenaline that the show needed. As Gone With the Wind reached its dramatic conclusion he was duly greeted with a rapturous standing ovation to rival any West End triumph. The structure of the show is said to still need some tidying up but, with Darius's spellbinding turn at the helm he may yet steer this the way of the classic Les Mirseables, which also had an uncertain start.
The great Clarke Gable is clearly one of Hollywood's most iconic performers so stepping into shoes like his is not a task to be undertaken lightly. That said, it seems that with performances like the one which met the West End establishment on Wednesday night, it is clear why Darius toppled the likes of movie star Hugh Jackman to get the role.
It may still be a controversial show but it's undoubtedly the production that everyone in Theatreland is talking about. And, as the old adage goes, there's only one thing worse than being talked about...
Published by: Nathan Brooker
