Writer and Director: Bradley Bredweg
Loosely inspired by Tim Burton’s 1990 film Edward Scissorhands, and to a lesser extent by Matthew Bourne’s 2005 dance version, this show enjoyed three sold-out runs in Los Angeles before trying its luck in London. Two cast members, Jordan Kai Burnett in the title role and Ryan O’Connor multi-roling, were in the original cast and both are strong stage commanders.
Scissorhandz is effectively a jukebox musical which cobbles together songs from recent decades, arranged and orchestrated by MD Bradley Bredweg who evidently has little love for volume control. As it winds through its plot for ninety minutes, it is relentlessly, bone-shakingly loud for most of its length. The occasional gentle number such as Snow Angel – which comes towards the end and is beautifully sung by Dionne Gipson as the Inventor, joined by others – is a great relief.
Of course, there are only a handful of stories in the world which simply get up-ended, expanded upon, reset or whatever to suit the context and this one is a take on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein, which is itself a reversal of the traditional “overcoming the monster” narrative. As such, it was always about inclusion and empathy but Scissorhandz turns it into a glaringly obvious, unoriginal, woke statement.
The titular Scissorhandz is invented from spare parts by a thwarted mother in a lonely gothic house – the multi-level grey set and projection are one of the better things in this show. They are taken in by a family but the neighbours are prejudicially hostile in their various ways. Then there’s a bit of Romeo and Juliet stuff as Scissorshandz falls in love, but of course, it can’t possibly work out. They are a misfit and, as such, we are invited to welcome Scissorhandz into our hearts and society. The message is over-larded.
On press night, most of the audience seems to be drunk on decibels and there is rapturous enthusiasm for what is, if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, actually a pretty ordinary show.
Runs until 29 March 2025