Boys round here promise the earth and they mean it - it's just that they don't have much to give
The latest in a (very) occasional series of musical reviews...
Standing At The Sky's Edge : Gillian Lynne Theatre
Two musicals in a row - what's going on?
So it's an interesting looking set with multiple levels and the band on display, which I always like - those guys work hard, so let them have some exposure. After some quick pre-show chat with the guy in the seat next to me about how much we hated Oklahoma! (which ended up with us finding out we live about 5 minutes away from other), the lights went down and I settled in to my very comfortable cheap seat with an excellent view (this theatre is among the best for that) to enjoy the show.
And enjoy it I did - very much. We follow the story of a flat on the Sheffield Park Hill estate through the device of three families that live there in different timelines - initially a newly married couple in 1960, a family fleeing conflict in Liberia in 1999 and a single woman starting anew in 2017 but they all move forward throughout the show quite cleverly reflecting the changing views of the time, with one portion of the show covering three different general elections and the hopes/fears that Sheffield experienced as a result, which is very nicely done.
The timelines are also often presented such that the various families are simultaneously present in the flat (with them all around the kitchen table at one point) which could easily be confusing but it's handled well enough for my little brain to cope with (the set design very much helps here). And, of course, as the show progresses, unexpected links between the timelines pop up - yes, it's an obvious device but it's handled well and I think they tie it all together pretty well.
The songs are generally pretty good, although I did get the feeling they didn't progress the plot in the manner I've come to expect from musicals - it often felt more like "a play with nice songs", which all made a lot more sense when I read that the songs came first on a Richard Hawley album from 2012. Having said that, they all fit in perfectly acceptably and there are some strong voices on display and some fine ensemble pieces.
And it's quite the ensemble - I thought Just One Day had a big cast, but this is even bigger. All of which makes it hard to pick people out, but I'd go for Elizabeth Ayodele as Joy, Samuel Jordan as Jimmy, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Poppy and Rachael Wooding as Rose - but everyone is really very good in this both in acting and singing.
And there's more acting required than I was expecting, with it being both surprisingly dramatic and funny in places. Yes, it's somewhat overdramatic at times but it does balance that with some nicely understated moments. I also very much liked the slow reveals as to how the families were linked together - overall it's really pretty well written and certainly kept me engaged throughout its three hours (including interval) running time. As I said (from my limited experience of such things) it did feel more like "a play with nice songs" than a musical, but it was a very enjoyable example of such things - I feel it's certainly worth checking out if you like such things.
Next up - not a musical!
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