Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increase in interest in filmed versions of popular stage musicals. The Prince of Egypt: The Musical presents a new take on a timeless, familiar tale. While it’s hardly anything you have not seen before, its fantastic soundtrack and brilliant choreography will keep you immersed in this rendition of a story we all know.
Based on the Dreamworks Animation film, The Prince of Egypt: The Musical tells the story of Moses, a Hebrew adopted by the Queen of Egypt, who became a prince before realizing his destiny of leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt. For a story that’s literally thousands of years old, it’s incredible to see how they keep finding ways to tell the story compellingly.
Even though the stage musical is around 45 minutes longer than the animated film, the pacing is still quite strong. It follows the familiar beats to a tee (which is not unexpected, considering how important the story of Moses is to so many religions), with much of the added runtime coming from the songs.
The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is exactly as you’d expect
Thankfully, the music has a vivacious energy that keeps the show moving. A few songs are carried over from the movie — and, of course, those are great, coming from what was arguably one of the strongest eras in animated musicals. However, this soundtrack thrives because the more than a dozen new songs are written by the film’s songwriter, Stephen Schwartz.
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This stage recording is of the West End production of the musical, starring Luke Brady as Moses and Liam Tamne as Ramses. And the duo is absolutely wonderful. Their chemistry is fantastic, their voices tremendous, and their ability to get emotion out of the audience astounding. However, they are so freaking good that they end up outacting everyone else in the ensemble. When anyone else is singing, you won’t be able to wait to get back to Brady or Tamne.
One of the things that really stands out about The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is its choreography. In many ways, the choreography feels less like the work of a stage musical and more like the work of a dance troupe. The fluidity and expressiveness of the performers’ motions, with a keen eye for cultural specificity, is incredibly hypnotic.
However, as strong as the choreography is, the musical is frustratingly dependent on modern gimmicks for its world-building. There are very few physical sets, and those the show does use tend to be relatively simple. Instead, the show falls back on the use of screens in an attempt to immerse the audience (and viewers at home) in the world of Ancient Egypt, and it doesn’t work.
The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is hardly required viewing, but it offers an entertaining take on a familiar tale, with great music and excellent choreography to boot. It would have been nice for the production to be a little less gimmicky, but for what it is, it’s pretty strong.
The Prince of Egypt: The Musical is now on VOD.
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Rating: 6/10
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