London: The Musicals

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) ★★★★★ / Standing at the Sky’s Edge ★★★1/2 / Sister Act ★★★ / London Tide ★★1/2

I saw a bit of an odd-ball selection of musicals to be honest. Some were more experimental than others. The best by far was Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York). If you want to read my rant about Ivo van Hove’s Opening Night then click here. But for other, more positive reviews, read on.

TWO STRANGERS (CARRY A CAKE ACROSS NEW YORK) ★★★★★

Written by Jim Barne & Kit Buchan. Criterion Theatre, London.

This is one of those little musicals that the UK does so well. A tight two-hander with great pop/MT tunes (think Sarah Bareillis or Pasek & Paul) and a great rom-com story. All the basic elements are in place, and then every department has overdelivered to produce a practically perfect show.

Teen heart-throb Sam Tutty, returning to the stage after his Olivier-winning professional debut in Dear Evan Hansen, has “adorable/nerdy” down pat playing Dougal, a young English guy who comes to New York to attend the wedding of the biological father he’s never met. He’s greeted at the airport by Robin (Dujonna Gift), the bride’s sister who is close to his age. As they spend the day together doing wedding errands, it’s clear there is an attraction between them, but also that they both have a lot more going on under the surface. 

I can’t tell you how good this show is, I just wish everyone had the chance to see it. Writers Jim Barne and Kit Buchan have made a bulletproof story that hits all the heights of a rom-com but backs it up with smart dialogue and moments that make both characters memorable from the first instant. For all the artificial tropes of the genre, everything here is rooted in deep emotional realities that most musicals gloss over. When Dougal and Robin go on a New York shopping spree, the extreme behaviour has been backed up by fine character work and well paced plot revelations that make the euphoria feel well earned but also tinged with further sadness.

The tunes are instantly hummable (I downloaded the 8 song EP instantly and have been playing it on loop ever since). It’s great because the recording captures not just the melody but the character and exquisite timing of both performers. Gift gives Robin a dry but caring sarcasm that I can easily see being overlooked by lesser performers. It makes her lovable even when she’s being utterly dismissive. Her look of disbelief at Dougal’s unbridled enthusiasm is bliss. At every instant she is THIS CLOSE to saying “oh hell no” and walking off the stage, but there is an inner smile that draws her back. Meanwhile Tutty’s Dougal is filled with gleeful levity, undercut by the reality of his situation. His song “About to go in” is a mini-novella in itself, just brilliant storytelling delivered perfectly. 

On top of all of this, the design work by Soutra Gilmour does so much heavy lifting. A collection of suitcases, of various sizes, on the stage transform into hotel rooms, the streets of Brooklyn, a Chinese restaurant, the subway and more. All the while establishing an iconic look for the show. In a show full of perfectly timed grace-notes, this set takes the cake. 

So yeah, I love this show. It’s destined to have a long shelf life due to the strength of the book and music, plus the fact it’s a two-hander for younger MT performers. Every theatre school graduate will want to stage this. It will hopefully save us from yet another fringe version of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years.

STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE ★★★1/2

Music & lyrics by Richard Hawley. Book by Chris Bush. Gillian Lynne Theatre, London.

This has been on my “must see” list since its original run at the National Theatre that had friends and critics raving. And it did not disappoint thanks to the gorgeous set design by Ben Stones – this show towers above you, as a story about a famous housing estate should. This is the kind of show that would really make use of the Seymour Center’s cavernous York Theatre – although it wouldn’t be large enough.

The script is inventive in the way it weaves the stories of three households, set in different time periods (the 60s, 80s and 10s) with links that grow clearer with time, but aren’t telegraphed in advance. Seeing the three families inhabit the same space, often at the same, gives the story a real sense of history and depth. This is the story of a place as much as it is of the individuals within it.

As a lover of Brutalist architecture, the look and feel of the show appealed (it would have been wonderful to see it in the Brutalist masterpiece that is the National Theatre on London’s Southbank, but the Gillian Lynne contains many of the same aspects). It evokes a sense of modernity and menace at the same time – both utopian and dystopian dreams coming true.

The performances were engrossing, but i’ll be honest in saying that the songs were mostly forgettable (nice, but nothing stuck in the ear). It was the characters that held my attention the most. The ending may be a bit melodramatic, but this is a musical after all, we expect that kind of thing. I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t bring a tear to the eye. I would love an NT Live broadcast of this one to see it again.

SISTER ACT ★★★

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Glenn Slater. Book by Cheri & Bill Steinkellner. Dominion Theatre, London.

To its credit, it’s not a jukebox musical but I think casual punters may be a bit miffed to not hear ANY of the music from the film. Instead we have an all-original score by the legendary Alan Menken (praise be!) And the music is pretty damn fun. 

Like most movie-to-musical adaptations the problems all lie in the hammy, frankly awful book tying it all together. There is zero emotional connection between the characters as they plod their way through the plot mechanics. The comedy is, for the most part, deathly dull and the pace pointlessly slow (each character gets a number, for no reason). 

The staging is one of the most lazy examples of “we’ve designed this so it can tour without a problem” I’ve seen in a while. Scene changes are lifeless and the whole show lacks any kind of direction. Apart from one wonderful quick change, it left me feeling cold.

But vocally I can’t deny it has punch and the tunes are full of fun and energy. It’s one of those shows that would almost be better in concert than it is fully staged. I’ll be very interested to see the local production and see how it compares.

LONDON TIDE ★★1/2

Adapted by Ben Power. Based on Charles Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend. Songs by PJ Harvey and Ben Power. National Theatre, London.

Three hours and fifteen minutes long. Let me repeat that, THREE HOURS and FIFTEEN MINUTES long. You’ve got to be hot damn amazing to justify that kind of length, and London Tide just is not up to the task.

The two names attached to London Tide that had me interested were songwriter PJ Harvey, whose 2000 album ‘Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea’ is one of my all time favourites, and director Ian Rickson who has been one of best, most dependable directors on the scene for decades now.

It looks like there are two main causes for the running time blow out. Firstly this is a Charles Dickens adaptation (by Ben Power), with a sprawl of characters and plots that weave in and out of one another. Basically it’s hard to simplify. Secondly, turning this story into a musical? It’s more of a play with the occasional song, but instead of being musical theatre numbers that propel the plot and reveal inner emotions, these songs mainly reiterate what we already know. Frankly, this would have been better off as a straight play.

Set designer Bunny Christie and lighting designer Jack Knowles have produced a stage that both delights and frustrates. It is cavernous and drab, a sparse space to emulate the grimes shadows of Thameside East London. The near constantly movement of the lighting rig (which undulates above the performers like waves on the river) is a wonderful effect but prove distracting when there is nothing below to visually anchor the audiences attention. Dark costumes on a dark, blank stage made the length feel longer. The personal highlight for me was watching as the stage floor of the Lyttleton Theatre as it began to rise and tip – I had no idea the stage could do that.

PJ Harvey’s songs didn’t elevate the story at all. Repetitive and droning, they lacked the energy required to give life to the action. The numbers in the second act were better, and served to punctuate the emotions well, but by they point I was worn out by the folk-like dirges. The opening number especially set the show off on the wrong foot. 

This feels like a show that’s been in development for a while and they decided to throw it on the stage prematurely, probably to clear the decks for the new incoming Artistic Director.

The National Theatre has always had mixed results with their original musicals, especially the ones bringing in songwriters from the pop and rock world. Tori Amos’ The Light Princess and Damon Albarn’s Wonder.land were both bold experiments that never really gelled, and London Tide belongs on that list. It’s this spirit of experimentation that brings me back each time though, while these shows may not be successful, every now and then they produce wonderful shows like Hadestown, Standing at the Sky’s Edge or London Road that push the boundaries of musical theatre.