A Mirrored Monet at Charing Cross Theatre

Historically rich and emotionally immersive, director Christian Durham’s latest show is a blend of art history and music that animates the life of Claude Monet on stage.

Written by Carmel Owen, A Mirrored Monet tells the story of Monet’s early days through the perspective of his older self. Influenced by the real letters and diaries of the artist and his friends, the story is grounded in truth, painting a picture of La Belle Époque and some of its most revered artists. While tackling The Water Lilies, an angry, ageing Monet, frustrated by his work and the ongoing war, looks back on his youth surrounded by his contemporaries and his muse, Camille Doncieux. As the story blends his past and his present, we see his life in vivid colour and witness the hardships of his career.

Charing Cross Theatre’s narrow space makes for an intimate venue, which works well with a small cast and a simple set that is playfully animated with the use of projections. Despite the close quarters, the stage is used well, with layers providing depth and minimal props providing just the leverage needed and no more.

The production starts unexpectedly, as the lights dim quickly and the aged Monet, played by the captivating Jeff Shankley, strides onto the stage from the left wing. Thrown into the story immediately, we are addressed by the painter, who becomes our tether through the weaving narrative. He remains in scenes with his younger self, sometimes as narrator, sometimes as minor characters, but always watching; a man plagued with nostalgia. This is a device sometimes overused and unimaginative, but here it enables a complex story to be told well with emotion.

Though small, the cast is energetic and strong. You build a fondness for the characters over the show’s duration, and begin to mourn them as an era riddled with death and tragedy pursues. Renoir (Sam Peggs) and Bazille (Ritesh Manugula) are among those who bring light to a narrative often marked by struggle. En Plein Air, sung by the two alongside young Monet and Camille, is a highlight of the production, its charm offering a welcome contrast to the score’s prevailing melancholy.

Dean John-Wilson, as the young Monet, is a powerful talent, delivering vocal prowess in numbers like In the Light and My Masterpiece with beautiful range and emotion. Brooke Bazarian, who plays Camille, demonstrates great promise, with a strong voice and a delightful presence shaping her professional stage debut.

The songs are impressive, often timeless and complex, though the score is occasionally undermined by lyric-dense numbers that attempt to contextualise the story. It is certainly a feat to capture La Belle Époque Paris and such artists in all their glory, and the production succeeds at telling the complex tale of a man’s life with beauty and sensitivity. The final track, The Beauty of Life, is genuinely moving, and speaks to the immersive nature of the musical, with the entire ensemble joining Monet as he finally finds his passion again.