Review: THE BRAILLE LEGACY, Charing Cross Theatre

Philosopher, Thomas Kuhn, the inspiration for the phrase "paradigm shift", suggested that science does not progress through evolution, but through revolution - and revolutions usually demand blood. So it proves (metaphorically and literally) in The Braille Legacy, Thom Southerland's bold, brave, but ultimately flawed new musical at the Charing Cross Theatre.

We're in 19th century Paris at The Institute for Blind Youth where Doctor Pignier is fighting for funding (plus ca change, n'est-ce-pas?) with his only champion, Captain Barbier, who is keen to see his system of "night writing" adopted as a means of allowing the blind kids to read by touch. But Louis Braille - a headstrong and brilliant student - wants a simpler system, six raised dots representing the alphabet, not 12 representing sounds, and isn't about to back down easily. Meanwhile, the forces of reaction consider the kids "afflicted" and worthy only of teaching sufficient skills to allow them to feed themselves and no more.

The major problem with this scenario is, of course, that we know Louis gets his system adopted (albeit posthumously) so the necessary jeopardy is rather shoehorned in with an evil conspiracy between Institute Deputy Head Dufau and an unscrupulous medical researcher spiriting away kids to be "cured'. There's a hint or two of incipient romance, but Louis is an adolescent, so that can't go very far, leaving the basic materials of musical theatre plotting a little thin on the ground. It doesn't help when a rather unsatisfactorily rushed ending has the cast narrate the last 25 years of Braille's life in the space of a minute or two.

If the book (by Sebastien Lancrenon) has its problems, the music is much more successful. Jean-Baptiste Saudray draws on his background in classical music to create a score that has echoes of Les Miserables with plenty of soar and swoop with the strings. There are not too many catchy hooks in the melodies, but songs like "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite" and "Our Alphabet" showcase some fine choral and individual singing from a cast in which newcomer, Jack Wolfe shines as Braille. A word too for costume designer, Jonathan Lipman, who has dressed the cast in black and white - striking, but I couldn't help thinking that Madame Barbier had a touch of Cruella de Ville, which spoiled matters a little for me at least!

It is wonderful to see Louis Braille celebrated in this musical - few people can claim the fame attached to his name nor the extraordinary impact his system has had on the lives of millions. That said, as a piece of musical theatre, the work is not as successful as his reading system - joining the predictability of outcome and lack of romance, there isn't much humour and the "goodies' and baddies'" characters are overly familiar from Dickens and many more Victorian novels and barely sketched beyond "Scooby Doo" levels of detail.

That Louis Braille's life is worthy of dramatic treatment is undoubtedly true - but perhaps this is not it.

The Braille Legacy continues at the Charing Cross Theatre until 24 June.

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