Zorro The Musical – Reviews at the Charing Cross Theatre ★★★

"Swordplay, seduction and castanets"

"The whiff of hamminess is never absent from the Zorro story and here both script and performances are endearingly alive to a sense of the ridiculous"

"All of the key ingredients of a classic Zorro storyline are present in this musical, from the cruel villain oppressing the peasants in a Los Angeles pueblo to the sultry-slash-feisty love interests our masked hero must choose between. And it’s presented with flamenco flair, with songs by the Gipsy Kings, those enduring monarchs of Latin pop, set to an original story by Helen Edmundson (Small Island) and lyricist Stephen Clark (Martin Guerre)."

"The women command the stage, including a five-strong female chorus whose impassioned lament for their broken village is the show’s most powerful moment. There’s huge verve, too, in the full-company numbers, courtesy of a couple of the Gipsy Kings’ most famous tunes, to the accompaniment of actor-musicians playing trumpets, fiddles and accordion."

"Energy, talent and excitement"

"Durham’s production is a celebration of storytelling and he has gathered a diverse and multi-talented cast to pull it together. Benjamin Purkiss, last seen on this stage in Broken Wings, has the presence and stamina to master the title role. His Diego is a quick-witted clown, but in hero mode as Zorro, Purkiss oozes charisma. Vocally he seems a little challenged by the score, but his Zorro is bold, playful and loyal. Luisa is an equally complex character with a fiery temper. Paige Fenlon is excellent here, delivering the show’s standout original number The Man Behind The Mask with passion and emotional clarity. Between them stands Alex Gibson-Giorgio, a towering, tortured Ramon, gradually overwhelmed by jealousy and shame."

"Zorro? More like zero"

"This spoofy, wrong-headed version of the story of dashing vigilante Zorro should never have got this far"

"There’s some professionalism to the way Zorro the Musical, a spoofy version of the Californian swordsman’s story is executed. But how something so conceptually stupid and wrong-headed got this far is a mystery."

"Phoebe Panaretos saunters effectively through the action, flashing eyes and thighs as Roma temptress Inez. She delivers the Gipsy King earworms with aplomb and has some funny scenes with Marc Pickering’s comically spineless Sergeant Garcia. These moments aren’t great in themselves. They’re overacted and overblown. But still better than the mix of triviality and honking self-importance that makes up the rest of the show. Zorro? Zero, more like."

"Olé? More like oy vey"

"Christian Durham’s revival takes the material far too seriously, while lacking the spectacle to conceal its glaring faults"

"Cressida Carré’s choreography has some passionate flamenco sequences, but becomes repetitive. Likewise, the sword fights are anaemic, and Zorro’s grand entrances and escapes plain silly.

"Benjamin Purkiss brings charm and a sweet singing voice to Diego, Marc Pickering is endearing as the bumbling Sergeant Garcia, and Ajjaz Awad is a standout among the energetic actor-musician ensemble. But Durham’s minimalist staging does this daft show no favours. Olé? More like oy vey."