Writer and Composer: Theo Jamieson
Director: Adam Lenson
Not quite out of this world, but coming close is Theo Jamieson’s space-based musical detailing the decision by astronaut Daniel Defoe to leave his spaceship Taurus and head off alone into the unknown in a capsule called the Ostrich. Of course, this voyage into other galaxies, cut off from Earth, is a metaphor for depression, but Jamieson and director Adam Lenson’s conceit makes for a thrilling 105 minutes.
A chorus of three boffin-like singers introduces the story of the European Space Commission astronaut who has gone rogue, millions of miles away from terra firma. They want to know if Daniel had planned his solo trip or whether it was a snap decision to sneak off in an escape capsule while his fellow astronauts were showering. So meticulously organised was his cosmic departure, the chorus comes to the conclusion that it was arranged, but the trio’s new question is what happened in Daniel’s life to induce him to seek the most solitary of adventures.
We are taken back to Earth, where Daniel meets his girlfriend, Emily Baker. Did something go wrong in their relationship to cause Daniel to want to be so tragically and heroically alone? Initially, the return to our planet is a little disappointing as it promises a romcom-style narrative detailing the first year or so of Daniel and Emily’s relationship: meet-cutes and arguments.
But fortunately, Jamieson provides compelling backstories for both of them, delving into their childhoods as well as the spark and fizzle of their stormy affair. One of the best songs in the show examines the cruelties that have been inflicted upon Daniel since his birth, with boffin Simbe Akande soaring as she recounts the story about Joshua Cooke.
We learn, too, a great deal about Emily and her film director father, which provides evidence of why she is so guarded and angry. Jamieson’s lyrics are full of minutiae as well, referencing Napoleon and Tolstoy, rhyming ‘gloater’ with ‘Toyota’ while one jazzy song, sung by Daniel in space, doesn’t have any rhymes at all, perhaps gesturing towards his desperation as he hurtles ever further from Earth.
Stuart Thompson is so likeable as Daniel Defoe that it’s not really convincing that the astroscientist’s favourite author is John Updike. His Daniel is too metrosexual to avidly read books by a ‘dead white man.’ He’s solidly affable, “genial” to steal an oft-repeated line, and so is stung by Emily’s schadenfreude that she feels when witnessing a fellow employee being yelled at by her boss. Thompson’s voice is clear and silky, a match for his lonely solos.
As Emily, Poppy Gilbert is in fine voice, although it’s worrying that she has to shout so much when relating her work story in case it affects her vocal cords later on in the run. Emily’s take-downs of Daniel seem harsher than his criticisms of her, although Jamieson is diligent in showing both of them as damaged from their childhoods.
Completing the cast of five are Rupert Young and Gina Beck, who, as well as performing as part of the boffin chorus, play Emily’s parents in flashback. At first, it seems as if the strange L-shaped auditorium will be a problem, but all the actors ensure that they engage both sides of the audience. Libby Todd’s set – apart from the sofa that gets in the way – holds a few surprises, and Lenson’s video design, projected onto the set and the band that plays above it, is helpful, and occasionally comical, as it contextualises Daniel’s struggles.
Perhaps the final coup de théâtre is unnecessary, bringing as many laughs as it does tears, but you can’t blame the production team for trying something different. FLYBY definitely has a future; it’s intelligent, clever, creative and contains some beautiful songs that occasionally are reminiscent of those by Jason Robert Brown, which is no bad thing at all.
Runs until 16 May 2026
