35mm: A Musical Exhibition (Flight Path) ★★★★

Music & Lyrics by Ryan Scott Oliver. Based on photographs by Matthew Murphy. Flight Path Theatre. 30 Nov – 9 Dec, 2023.

35mm: A Musical Exhibition, the song-cycle by Ryan Scott Oliver, has the energy of noughties rock radio. So get ready for your girl-rock anthems, indie romance belters and quirky singer-songwriters all mixed with musical theatre storytelling. There’s no real narrative (you can weave your own along the way), but the voices are big and bold and each snapshot song is a world all its own.

The songs are loosely held together by the premise of a photographer capturing snippets of the world around them (the songs were originally inspired by the photographs of Matthew Murphy, Oliver’s husband, which are not presented in this production but you can see them here if you like). The premise is spelt out in the free, online programme but to be honest its rather pointless and more confusing than not. I recommend just relaxing and going with the flow – the music and vocals here are more than enough to hold your attention. This is a powerhouse showcase for crystal clear voices and these performers make the most of it. 

The cast are as diverse as the individual tunes. Production company Little Triangle has expanded the cast to nine (traditionally it’s only five) and made a point of casting through a queer lens, flipping the genders of some roles to create LGBTQ+ pairings for many of the love songs.  Mikayla Burnham blows the room off with “Leave Luanne”, a brutal, bluesy tale of domestic violence. Izzy Hanly and Aaron Robuck give us 70s stadium-rock counter-melodies in “Make Me Happy” (which reminded me of Max Vernon’s The View Upstairs) and Brodie Masini serves comedic charm with songs like “Good Lady” and “Twisted Teeth”.

It isn’t till late in the proceedings that Oliver seems to speak directly to the audience to put them at ease with this non-linear, motley collection of songs, with the full ensemble number “Why, Must We Tell Them?” (which resembles Jonathan Larson’s “Why” from Tick, Tick… Boom!): 

“But why must we tell them why?

Why excuse each deviation? Why

Must we serve them prix fixe art

Or prove each part (art a la carte)?

Look, all we’re saying is

Look. All we’re saying is

All we’re saying is. Look.

Why must we justify?

Let’s defy their forms and fixtures, not

Playing by their rules of thumb. 

Gots to become a little numb.”

The show is limited by its lack of budget. A bit more staging, lighting (and better sound, definitely better sound) would elevate this cast even further. Personally, I would have preferred to lose the staging entirely and play the evening as a kick-ass semi-staged concert (ala Six) focusing on the music. But the cast and the songs smooth over any rough patches.

With a wide mix of subjects, ranging from love-songs to gothic tales or comedic interludes, 35mm: A Musical Exhibition feels like a tightly programmed cabaret concert. This is a showcase for talent – both on stage and in the writing. I’ve had the original cast recording on a loop since seeing the show. If you love great rock musical vocals you’ll love this, plus the tunes are so engrossing you won’t hear any of the infamous planes flying overhead.