Jeff and Hunter try to write a musical to submit to an upcoming festival. The deadline? 3 weeks away. The challenge? They don't know what to write about! But what if they could simply draw from the inspiration right in front of them - their own process trying to write this musical! 


The material itself, while a potentially genius premise, is unfortunately generally disappointing. Regardless of how large your metatheatrical wink to the audience might be, tongue-in-cheek can't save you from largely forgettable and disengaging songs. The plot itself is incredibly confusing, which is perhaps meant to be part of the show's charm, but we are rushed through at such a chaotic speed that the hilarity of the confusion is lost on us. 


It also feels quite dated. Originally penned in 2009, many of the plot points and tropes fall a little flat - having the two women in the group become catty rivals out of seemingly nowhere, and toplessness-ex-machina come to mind immediately - and it is hard to know whether some of the references to theatre and New York are too niche for a British audience, too old for a 2024 audience, or simply soared over this one reviewer's head! Regardless, if your references are serving to alienate rather than titillate, it might be worth reworking the material. Jokes themselves have the potential to be absolutely hilarious, but are regularly explained to the audience, undermining them entirely! 

 


The script is actually quite good, with some beats of genuine laugh-out-loud hilarity (certainly not as many as intended, but it's there!); unfortunately, we can hardly enjoy these snippets of brilliance as we are sped through the show at a pace that feels incredibly rushed. Perhaps this is an issue with direction, which feels generally lacking throughout aside from the physical staging and movement which is very slick. However it is the acting that suffers from this missing direction, and any poignancy that might have been found in this piece is lost, not to mention chemistry between the characters. 3 of the 4 have barely any clear characterisation at all - line deliveries come close to feeling more like a table read at times, frustrating as we do glimpse the clear potential of most of these performances throughout. The greatest disappointment here is that we don't connect with the characters, so aren't at all invested in their personal or overarching journeys (though whether this is a problem with direction or the material is unclear). 


It is Abbie Budden who brings spirit and understanding as Heidi - she fully embodies this disillusioned but ever-hopeful Broadway performer with charm, composure, and fantastic vocals. In fact, the vocal talent of the entire cast is exceptional, and the points at which they share stunning harmonies together are certainly highlights of the evening. 


Alistair Lindsay's lighting design is great fun, and Hazel McIntosh's set is simple but effective. 
It is ultimately a shame that this show might be just nine people's favourite thing, but with some further workshopping, it could be something very special for theatre lovers everywhere. 


[title of show] runs at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) until 30th November. 

Author: Penny Lane   Photos: Danny Kaan