Finally, a musical. On a Friday night and “press night”
too, this is more like it. As we entered the Landor there was a tangible sense
of relief as we ordered the first of many vodka and tonics of the evening. The
Landor has never let us down and we were aching to climb the stairs to the
first floor performance space to be whisked away to some alternate reality
where melody, rhythm and rhyme are more important that the EU, hitting a top C
is more significant than the return of the Drachma and being able to dance
whilst singing and pretending to be someone else is the ultimate achievement
that Angela Merkel will never know.
For once we decided to have dinner in the friendly buzzy bar
on the ground floor and I am so glad we did as it was delicious. We never watch
what we eat at weekends, as our ever expanding waistlines attest, so it was
mouth-watering fish and chips for me and I even ate the salad. I’m still
waiting for the weather to break so I can start my post-Christmas diet. Anyway
I digress, back to matters theatrical.
I have already written a more formal review of this show
for What’s On The Fringe, so I will post a link when it’s published (here it is - Whats On The Fringe review). In the
meantime I’ll just ramble on here in my usual uniformed manner.
This 2003 “musical comedy affair” has book and lyrics by
Joe Pietro and music by Jimmy Roberts, the team responsible for the off-Broadway
hit “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”.
The opening song reveals the dilemma our protagonist
faces. Peter Gerald’s cuckolded advertising executive Tom is a man who is too
self-absorbed to realise the ridiculousness in his outrage at his wife Lucy’s
five week fling with artist Sebastian, when he admits to at least three
affairs himself, including an ongoing one with a colleague. Taking umbrage he moves out
of their large suburban home and follows John Addison’s cash-strapped Sebastian
to a bar and, using the assumed name Milo, makes him a financial offer that he
can’t refuse to move into the spare room of his messy urban loft. There follows
a series of almost farcical situations where Tom ensures that neither Sebastian nor
Lucy discover Milo’s true identity.
Peter Gerald is tremendous, centre stage for much of the
show, it his journey that engages the most and as his life of unfulfilled
dreams is revealed, our initial disdain for this needy attention seeking man
with dubious morals is transformed and we see echoes of John Addison’s sexy exciting
but hopelessly idealistic boy-man, Sebastian. Kate Graham is outstanding as Lucy, we can
totally empathise with her and understand why Tom’s behaviour and lack of
interest has made her fall for attentive, hunky Sebastian.
The USP of this great little musical, sparkling with snappy dialogue, witty
one-liners and tuneful, if ultimately a little unmemorable, songs is the
supporting cast of 22 characters and a Greek chorus. All of these roles are tackled
with sensational comic effect by Steven Webb and Lucyelle Cliffe. If ever there
were two major musical comedy stars about to burst into all our consciousnesses
it is Messrs Webb and Cliffe. From sushi delivery men to snotty maitre-D’s and Hispanic
cab drivers to country and western singers, they grab every opportunity and
manage to steal every single scene in which they appear.
As the story progresses, Sebastian and Tom, initially unlikely flatmates, never
mind soulmates, eventually find that they have more in common than either of
them could have believed and Tom and Lucy rediscover the source of their love for
each other.
Director Andrew Keates has inspired this terrific cast to
give us world-class performances. With
musical staging by Cressida Carre and musical direction from Joanna Cichonska,
these three Mountview Academy alumni have created something truly special. The
three piece band of piano, reeds and cello manage to sound remarkably lush. The set,
designed by Martin Thomas, of gorgeous gilded doorframes surrounding matt grey
doors and boxes of varying sizes that illuminate, gives us a true sense of place
and time. I also have to mention Philippa Batt’s fabulous costumes, especially
those of bored, trophy wife Lucy. Kate Graham gets to change for virtually
every scene including slipping on a pair of glittering stilettos with gravity defying heels that have to be
seen to be believed.
From the tasty food and friendly bar staff to the
wonderful beer garden and the trad-jazz band playing as we left, The Landor already
has to be a contender for the best pub in the world. Add to this an upstairs
room in which is created some of the most exciting musical theatre in London
and the result is Nirvana.
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