Despite hitting some sour notes, ‘The Choral’ sings
Nicholas Hytner and Alan Bennett, the team that bestowed upon us “The Madness of King George” and “The Lady in the Van,” join forces yet again for “The Choral,” a well-meaning bit of bittersweet tonic set in a wee Yorkshire mill town at the onset of World War I. In the same manner as “Waking Ned Devine,” “Kinky Boots” and “Local Hero,” the story accentuates the various quirks of a beleaguered community coming together for a greater good.
In this case, a reimagined production of Edward Elgar’s “The Dream of Gerontius” by a town choir that has lost many of its male members to conscription and enlistment. That includes the choral society’s director, who believes he’s needed more at the front than in front of a group of mecurial singers.
Enter Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Henry Guthrie, a celebrated conductor but not a popular choice given his personal and professional entanglements with Germany, the nation responsible for sending many of Ramsden’s young men home in caskets or minus a limb. But these are desperate times, and if there’s to be a performance, the choir and its chief benefactor and soloist, Alderman Bernard Duxbury (Roger Allam), will just have to hold their noses.
The plot pretty much writes itself, as we witness auditions, rehearsals and a plethora of unforeseen setbacks leading up to what is the musical equivalent of “the big game.” By then, this collection of disparate singers – young-old, gay-straight, male-female – will be fully committed to putting on the best show ever. Increasing the utter predictability is the introduction of way too many rote characters.
They include Mary (Amara Okereke), an angelic-voiced Salvation Army lass; Bella (Emily Fairn), a sweet, but hot-to-trot missy whose beau is missing in action; and Joe Fytton (Mark Addy from “The Full Monty”), who is tasked with photographing Ramsden’s brave young men – in full uniform – before they are shipped off to war, likely to not return alive.
Among those waiting for their closeups are three randy 17-year-olds – Ellis (Taylor Uttley), Lofty (Oliver Briscombe) and Mitch (Shaun Thomas) – who, like their German counterparts in “All Quiet on the Western Front,” nervously anticipate turning 18 and the imagined adventures of war. Natch, each of the trio aspires to lose his virginity before it’s too late. A desire the town pump, Mrs. Bishop (Lyndsey Marshal), is only too happy to fulfill, maybe even gratis.
If that wasn’t enough, events are further complicated by the presence of Robert Emms as Dr. Guthrie’s favored pianist, Robert Horner, and Jacob Dudman as Clyde, a golden-throated soldier who gave his right arm in service to his country. And lest we forget Simon Russell Beale as Elgar, the imperious Godot of the piece, who may or may not show up on opening night.
Again, way too many personalities to keep track of, let alone connect with and invest in. It’s a chore just listing their names. And I’d be hard-pressed to match said names to faces. The crowded field also deprives us of more of Fiennes, terrific as the generally kind, patient leader of three dozen warblers of varying talents and social strata.
Fiennes can only do so much in these limited opportunities, but he, along with Allam, as the town’s monied chief employer, keeps you sticking around. When they step to the fore, your involvement deepens. When they disappear into the throng, it’s pretty much hit-or-miss.
At least there’s the evocative cinematography by Mike Eley (“The Dig”) to appreciate. Kudos, too, to the musical numbers, gorgeously executed, particularly by Okereke and Dudman. It all adds up to a spoonful of cinematic comfort food, satisfying for the moment, but soon forgotten.
Movie review
The Choral
Rated: R for sexual content and some language
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Mark Addy, Roger Allam, Amara Okereke and Emily Fairn
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Writer: Alan Bennett
Runtime: 113 minutes
Where: In theaters Jan. 16 (limited)
Grade: B-
