Another day, another piece of documentary theatre, this time with music.
I was first made aware of this Thatcherite swipe at all things different at the Olivier Awards in 1988 when Ian McKellen used a nomination speech to call it out. Most of the audience was a bit puzzled. A law to outlaw the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle was being sneaked through, but they hadn’t bargained on activism on a suffragette scale. Looking at the audience last night, I felt like I might be the only person around at the time, at least as an adult, yet they seemed acutely aware of the foundations it laid.
It was a piece of populist legislation that polarised in a way we see even more frequently today. Whatever its intentions, it may have achieved the opposite. It lasted fifteen years and met its demise twenty years ago. This show approaches it from the perspective of activism, something people relate to, identify with and use more today than pre-Section 28. It seemed to me to be factually accurate, much of it verbatim, with attributed quotes. The musical theatre form gives it great pace and energy, though it does at times seem a bit relentless, at the expense of vocal quality. A touch more subtlety wouldn’t go amiss, though this does come towards the end when it’s more reflective and serious, and I was after all bringing the average age up. A lot!
Ellice Stevens, Billy Barret & Frew’s show packs a lot of historical fact into less than two hours playing time, and story suits musical theatre. The four actors – Tika Mu’tamir, Ellice Stevens, EM Williams & Zachary Willis – perform with gusto, with Frew & Ellie Showering providing the accompaniment in Billy Barrett’s staging. There’s no set as such, but Zakk Hein’s projections allow swift changes between locations. It has it’s faults, but its an enlightening and enjoyable evening, and it struck me as original, documentary musical theatre!
Welcome back, New Diorama.