Dancing on the Edge

The interesting and intriguing series Dancing on the Edge came to an end a week ago with the promise of an epilogue interview the purpose of which was not clear and which was shown on Sunday evening. When the series commenced I was not sure where it was going in terms of an encounter with one of central London Masonic lodges for the aristocracy, the rich and the politically powerful based in a hotel, or why the series included a son of King George as well as appearances from himself. King George who also appears in the last episode of ten in the Series on the opening of Selfridges   store in London which also ended on Sunday,

 

Dancing on the Edge is written by Stephen Poliakoff whose work is always interesting and some times controversial and this is his first TV production for over five years. I was attracted by the advance publicity that at its core was to be a Jazz band but this proved to be a sideshow for his exploration of the role of the Masons in British Society before the Second World War and the extent of racism against Jews and non white people. Although historical for the generation of today the work is a contemporary one for me and is likely to prove a commentary on “Society” today in much the same way Selfridges also had several stings, especially in the last trio of episodes and where the involvement of Royalty was have a bearing on the outcome.

 

Stanley Mitchell  Matthew Goode) is a creative journalist editor (with a  typing assistant who he beds called Rosie) for the Musical Express where he appears to live most of the time although he has a home with his working class single parent  mother. I used to buy the New Musical Express in the late 1950’s along with Melody Maker, two weekly papers which published information on Jazz. The NME was created only in 1952. I am sure the NME will have enjoyed the publicity whereas Royalty and the Masons will not and it is interesting the limited extent to which there is mention in Wikipedia article which in several respect and unusually, is a travesty of this richly textured work

 

The young editor catches only the end of the set of a black jazz swing band and suggests that with his help he can get them into the big time especially if they employ a singer. They get two, friends, one pretty Billy Holiday looking, the other not unattractive but with a bulkier red hot mama frame. This has significance!

 

Stanley gets them a job with a posh London hotel which tends to attract elderly conventional customers who have no experience or interest in jazz or contact with black men before. The deal is that the band will bring a new generation much like the position of the Tory Party today, where at Eastleigh the Party has only a hundred elderly members or the Catholic Church which elected a South American Argentinean of Italian parents as Pope.

 

When the band performs one evening they please a table of aristocrats. The most influential appears to be Arthur Donaldson a wealthy man played by Anthony Head who develops into a treacherous and dangerous man who has two young children with him who he claims are a nephew and niece but the implication is that he is a paedophile and they are orphans. One of his friends is a son of King George.

 

Also at the table are a brother and sister whose parents are anti Jewish and racists. The young man played by Julian Luscombe (Tom Hughes) appears a weak, emotionally disturbed and dependent on his sister Pamela (Joanna Vanderham) who appears to take an interest in Stanley. Sarah is the English born daughter of a Russian immigrant who is an amateur artistic photographer and takes an interest in the piano playing band leader Louis Lester (Chiswetel Ejiofor) English born but assumed to be American whose mother worked for a succession of rich families and became devout Christian. He obtained work on ocean liners which in additional episode provided him the opportunity to listen to the lives of the worldly that carried on as if he was not here. The band is managed by another English born man who lived in the USA for many years and where there is an arrest warrant. Julian is a kind of assistant to an American tycoon who uses the hotel as his UK base Walter Masterson (John Goodman), one of the richest men in the world.

 

The band is only given a short term contract at the hotel until asked to play at a Garden Party at the home of Walter although the guests although the small number of guests view the band at a distance in the house but where they emerge one of the party is a son of the King who plays with the band and takes an interest in the lead singer lead singer Jesse. When the Prince visits the band at the hotel they are made, helped by the publicity given to the band in the Music Paper.

 

The band are given a long term contract and allowed to use musician’s quarters at the hotel and with the increasing attention the singers are allowed to use the hotel main entrance. Louis helps out John Goodman when a young aristocratic woman is found battered in his suite. Goodman takes up the leading members of the band and invites them on a picnic which takes place using a private train which appears to have the freedom of the railway and which takes them to the country home of Lady Lavinia Cremone played by Jacqueline Bisset, (who also has a suite at the Imperial), and is also a fan of the Musical Express which she has in bound copies because of her love of Jazz but is now a recluse following the death of her two sons in the Great War. She thinks the band and singer great when they play for her and is it she who arranges for a BBC big wig to listen to the band in the original Jazz cellar which he attends reluctantly until finding a Prince present.

 

The band then becomes internationally famous and makes records after the BBC do a live broadcast from the hotel in the presence of Royalty. The band is asked to play at a service dinner at a regimental headquarters in the presence of the King. The King dances with the wife of the commanding officer who realises she will be expected to sleep with the King for the night. Meanwhile the world of Louis is about to fall apart.

 

After performing the service for Goodman Louis and Stanley had been shown a peep hole at the hotel by Julian enabled them to see members of one of the London Masonic Lodges for the powerful and rich in the basement of the hotel. Goodman and Walter are also members.  It was not immediately clear the significance which this reference to the Masons was going to have in the series. The development of a sexual relationship between Louis and Sarah and between Matthew and Pamela is also unclear in its significance and I remain unsure how Sarah became part of this circle of the aristocracy and the super rich.

 

Stanley also develops a positive friendship with Lady Cremone who he interviews and places on the front cover. Matthew and Goodman also develop a friendship.

 

Julian coverts Jesse and persuades her to pretend she is unwell and not to attend the dinner at which the King will be present because he has arranged for her to meet a Hollywood film producer. Louis is concerned about the situation and returns early from the dinner at which the second singer comes to the fore and impresses.

Jesse joins Julian, Pamela and Sarah at the hotel, seemingly quickly recovered and Julian and she go upstairs. Louis then finds Jesse battered and close to death and is sure as we the audience that Julian is at the end of the corridor. Julian departs taking leave of his sister late to join Goodman in Paris. The nation is shocked by what happens and one possible avenue being followed by the police is a fan some of whom had commenced to follow her and they now vigil outside the hospital.

 

Louis is interviewed by the police and is not regarded as a suspect. He tells them of his concerns about Julian however when the police check and report back that there are two witnesses who saw Julian on the scheduled boat train and  he has his passport appropriately stamped.

 

The band plays at the hotel at Christmas before a party   from the German Embassy who walks out on seeing that the band is Black. Julian and Stanley arrange for the band to play at German Embassy which causes another walk out. The band is invited to play for the Mason’s at the Imperial Hotel. Louis discovers that the two witness who said they had seen Julian on the train ferry are members of the Lodge. It later emerges that Goodman had arranged for his private plane to get Julian to Paris and that officials are assisting in the cover up. Why Goodman went to Paris by the boat train is therefore a mystery or perhaps my memory of this aspect is faulty.

 

The performance before the Masons ends quickly with the news of the attempt on the life of the USA president. Goodman takes the party to premises which he has acquired for the expansion of the Musical Express to listen to a long wave radio. He has suddenly shown great interest in the magazine offering Matthew the Editorship at a fantastic salary, with Sarah the professional photographer which he sees as the way forward. He also persuades Lady Cremone to become his agent in charge. The current owner had brought in a co editor to develop the paper to cover radio and other technological developments. He is also to feature in the new enterprise as a kind of Chief Executive. Everyone is being well paid to work for Goodman except Pamela, something which she comments on.

 

New Year is spent back at the estate of Lady Cremone and in the village which is on the estate. Julian reappears explaining that he has been in France developing the idea to create a business selling British made Cheeses. Louis tells Sarah of his concerns about Julian which she disregards.  Goodman who refers to Julian as the son he never had  and is moving back full time to the USA and wants Julian to be with him.  Julian’s fascist mother thinks this is a great idea but Julian is concerned about losing the influence of sister. She spent Christmas day with Stanley at the home of is mother.

 

When Jesse who seemed to be recovering and regaining consciousness has a relapse and dies, Louis is wanted by the Police for her murder, goes on the run and finds that everyone turns against him.  Not only does he band lose it contract at the hotel but the American owners visit but want to sell the property for the site to be converted into apartments. The Masons also look for another hotel.  Louis goes to see Arthur who promises help through his solicitor. However Arthur emerges in his true colours as he has contacted the police. Arthur had previously offered to help the band’s manager establish his British status thus avoiding extradition to the USA but fails suggesting he wanted the manager out of the way to be able to exercise greater influence over the band, Louis and the female singers

 

Louis gets away and comes to Stanley for help who hides him with suburban relatives where he is joined by Sarah about whom he is suspicious. Goodman has posted a large reward for the capture of Louis and used the press to ensure that everyone is on the lookout for him. Lady Cremone who with everyone else turns her back on Louis begins to query why Goodman has adopted such an aggressive position. Stanley and Sarah also begin to realise that something more sinister is to hand but all appear to accept that Julian with his alibi had nothing to do with the assault and death of Jesse.

 

Louis is still wearing his DJ and therefore conspicuous and leaving Stanley’s relatives because neighbours have called him police they use the premises of a bowling club to change into clothes brought by Sarah and Stanley then takes Louis to hide at the Jazz club where the band originally played above which there is a dance studio. The owner manager is reluctant to provide sanctuary especially as she has a function.

 

An elaborate plan is devised for the band including its singer to take boat train to France with the help of money from Pamela and Sarah. One problem is that the second singer does not have a passport. Louis nevertheless makes his escape to France and we later learn that he has made his way to Marseilles where is able to earn living from his music. Lady Cremone saves the hotel and has the rest of the band on contract to play a set in which the music of Jesse is kept alive. The Musical Express returns to its original premises with Stanley in charge once again.

 

Julian fails to make his Rendezvous with Goodman to go to America and takes a hand gin from his parent’s home and goes to the home of Arthur where it appears he is going to kill the man although why is not clear. Arthur takes him to meet Goodman at a train station where again it looks as if Julian intends to kill both of them. Instead he gives a confession to waitress and commits suicide. Arthur and Goodman quickly leave.  Sarah was force to reveal the location of Louis blackmailed by the British Secret Service who threatens to revoke her father’s permission to reside in the UK. She now says she will find Louis.

 

The postscript episode comprises the incomplete interview between Stanley and Louis and which suggests a follow up series. Louis has told Stanley to interview Jesse before her death) and she talks of fan mail she has been getting and that some of it is quite weird although the significance of this is unclear.

 

Louis then tells   the story that he was telephoned by the wife of a friend of Pamela who needed to tell him something, although why she needed to tell him is not clear. Her husband is one of those belonging to the Masonic Lodge he had spied on with Louis. She tells of another lodge at another hotel much grander, where there was one member who foretold of the great crash and advised members on how to survive the happening but they had largely ignored him. He had then warned of the Second World War. Louis had told Stanley about this before his flight to France making him promise not print anything because his informant appeared frightened of her husband. It was not clear to me if she was the same young woman who Louis had rescued from Goodman’s apartment or someone different. Stanley says he intends to follow this up.

 

Poliakoff has written the series full of implied conspiracies with the ability of the rich and powerful to operate outside the law and with the assistance of the law and the state to then cover up and if necessary frame others. He ahs also set the series in such a way as to imply real life events. I once heard a conversation on a flight to Gibraltar in which two worldly and educated men stated that forces within the USA had been responsible for 9/11. This series had a similar feel and a host of inanswered questions and issues.