Review by Ron Fassler . . .
Oliver Cotton’s The Score presents German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) as its primary character: a musical giant of the late Baroque period. As was the fate of his contemporaries, Bach was dutifully tied to the monarchy and aristocracy out of economic necessity and social structure. The Score dramatizes what might have occurred when Bach clashed with King Frederick II of Prussia, himself an amateur composer who thought he knew a thing or two about music. At the time, Frederick ruled a collection of scattered territories across Central and Eastern Europe. Bach lived in Leipzig, Germany, with his wife, Anna, an accomplished court singer and musician. The two met in 1747 when Bach traveled to Frederick’s court at Potsdam and pits Bach against the King in a tense battle of wits, as Bach must weigh his obedience against his conscience over the atrocities that he has witnessed firsthand.
In 2023, The Score had its world premiere in England at Theatre Royal Bath, then moved to the West End in 2025. Both of those productions were directed by Sir Trevor Nunn. Reassembling most of its original cast, it just ended a seven-week engagement at Harman Hall in Washington, D.C. as part of the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s fall season. I caught the final performance on Sunday afternoon and was very happy I did. Though it understandably recalls Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, which was wildly successful both as a Tony Award-winning play and as an Academy Award-winning film, it doesn’t hold up in a side-by-side comparison. Still, as a piece of entertainment, The Score more than holds its own, especially due to the presence of Brian Cox as Bach.
At eighty, this powerhouse actor shows no signs of slowing down. Since 2018, when his portrayal of Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession first burst forth on TV screens the world over, he has enjoyed an upturn in a career that was already marked by extraordinary highlights. Here he brings his usual bombast to the role but also a gentleness, especially while acting with his real-life wife Nicole Ansari-Cox as Anna, and Jamie Wilkes, as his son, Carl, one of Frederick’s court musicians. Clearly in love with the stage, Cox relishes each syllable of his often twisty-turny dialogue and, in the intimacy of the cozy Harman Hall, it appears as though no microphone was attached to the side of his head, de rigueur these days.
Cox is matched scene for scene by Stephen Hagan’s magnificent King Frederick. What another actor may have done by overstating the character’s pompousness, Hagan underplays, which serves to make him even more menacing. There are obvious modern-day parallels not only to Trump, but other world leaders obsessed with their egos that could have turned quickly into caricature. But Hagan handles things with much-needed finesse and is no shrinking violet opposite a master like Cox. As fellow members of the court of musicians, Matthew Romain, Christpher Staines, and Toby Webster also excel. I also admired another low-key performance from Julie Garricks as a long-serving servant in the King’s court.
Director Nunn manages the nearly impossible task of allowing the show to breathe despite a lengthy two-hour-forty-five-minute running time. Though some ruthless cutting is called for, it would appear that this production’s motto is probably “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” The impeccable costumes are by Robert Jones as well as its scenic design, which is lovely, but suffers somewhat from being adapted for this tour.
In a recent joint interview with American Theatre Magazine, Cox and his wife were quizzed a bit on the political ramifications of the play and what it means to be playing it in the current environment of our nation’s capital. Ms. Cox made it clear that when she and her husband spoke to Shakespeare Theatre artistic director Simon Godwin about the extra-theatrical expectations raised by playing in the nation’s capital that ‘We said we want it in writing that we do not have to shake hands with people we do not want to shake hands with.’”
This play packs a punch and Washington, D.C. was lucky to play host as it could just have easily chosen to go to New York City instead. There’s some wonderful theatre to be seen in this city and The Score is a welcome addition to its vibrant theatre scene.
The Score played through October 25, 2026 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Harmon Hall, 610 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. For information on future programing, visit www.ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Photos by Teresa Castracane.
Headline photo: Nicole Ansari-Cox (Anna Magdalena Bach) and Brian Cox (Johann Sebastian Bach).
