This show is written by Duncan Sheik, the man who gave us the ground-breaking musical Spring Awakening, a critical and commercial hit on Broadway, a critical hit but commercial flop in the West End (I should know, I lost a wardrobe full of shirts on it). This comes between that and his excellent musical adaptation of American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre. I therefore had high hopes for this.
Set on the East coast of the USA during the second world war, Lily continues the family tradition of running the lighthouse, a more significant role now that German U-boats are off the coast. Lily’s young nephew Christopher is sent to stay with her, something neither of them are happy with. Christopher is even less happy with the fact his aunt has a Japanese helper, Yasuhiro, as his dad was shot down by a Japanese plane, so he’s pleased when the local sheriff apprehends him in line with US government’s policy regarding nationals of Germany, Italy & Japan. The other two characters are ghosts, apparently of people who died through the negligence of Lily’s ancestors.
It’s a vey slight piece, with undistinguished music, that falls flat and goes nowhere. The best song comes after the curtain call, sung by the ghosts. I liked the way designer Andrew Riley has reconfigured the space and the staging, performances and onstage band were fine. It runs for just 80 minutes, plus a totally unnecessary interval, no doubt for the usual commercial reasons. I just didn’t engage with it at all, and I’m a bit puzzled as to why they’ve bothered to put it on. Oh, and there’s another of those programme notes about it resonating more post-Trump. Yawn…..
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