Music and Lyrics: Drew Gasparini
Director: Alex Conder
Go to the theatre, immerse yourself in another world and enjoy a story expertly told.
That’s the promise, in general, when heading into a darkened room with a stage, a live band and a strong cast of nine singers with solid credentials. Thank you, then, to Drew Gasparini and the producers here for a show with a cycle of songs that are mostly self contained and separated from each other, but well written enough to contain fully imagined and individual stories in their own rights.
Some imagination, of course, is required on the part of the listener, but the performers make it easy. Without props, costumes, backdrops or anything apart from music, lyrics and emotive performances, the cast (and eight live musicians) deliver an engaging and sometimes electrifying performance.
Based on Gasparini’s 2013 album of musical theatre songs, the show had a streamed version in London earlier this summer with this marking its West End, one-night-only, premier. Fans of the album will note some changes, not least of which is a new order for the tracks that makes a lot of sense. It leaves the two halves of the production a little unbalanced, and creates an oddly sudden ending, but generates a more recognisable emotional journey to take the audience on in the absence of a strung-together narrative.
We start off with a theme of emotional honesty and recognition of internal strength, carried through with Luke Bayer’s charming take on a man coming out to his mother via answer phone in A LIttle Bit, and Maiya Quansah-Breed’s stunning delivery of If I Had You. We’re taken through heartbreak and longing with a soulful song from Billy Nevers and an eloquent scream of rage at a lack of control over a disintegrating relationship from Caroline Kay. The half ends with the clear highlight of the evening – a huge Billy Nevers performance to tell us about how addictive a lover can be with Good Stuff that peaks with a full cast chorus.
Opening the second act is a quirky, jaunty country-folk number called Valley High, sung by Luke Bayer, Alex Conder and Tom Francis from the perspective of a high-school shooter and is a great choice. However, with a few strong performances and good individual songs notwithstanding, the half feels like it meanders through high and low without the connectivity of the first. When the end comes, it comes unexpectedly. A slow start to the final number, before a real smash with a full cast contributing.
A key point in this, an evolution from the album, is the two sets of two songs that pair up as a call-and-response structure. One is about a boy and a girl who pass love notes to each other and discover the first flush of love in the first half (Dear Lucy, sung by Ahmed Hamad as “Tom” is just lovely). The second, an intelligent counterpoint in the second half, is the duo of Two Little Lines (Olivia Lallo) and No Turning Back Now, a story of panic and hope with a teen pregnancy.
Throughout, the live band led by musical director Flynn Sturgeon (with a snappy brass section, two pianos, bass, cello and guitar) prove to be a highly effective mix of multi-instrumentalists.
The quality of the songs and performance really carry this show. As it’s a one off, here at the Garrick, there may be life in the show on stage in the months to come. With a little tweaking to the order, or set list, this could become something properly great.
Reviewed on 2 August 2021
The Reviews Hub Score
Electrifying performances overcome unbalanced arrangement
