This is the second of the Edinburgh ones-that-got-away that I’ve caught up with back in London and boy am I glad I did!
It’s a musical where four lads in the departure lounge at a Spanish airport look back at their hedonistic week in the sun and reflect on life at the crossroads between school and university. I was expecting mere ladishness, but what surprised me was how much depth the rights-of-passage story has, the richness of the characterisation and how much it has to say about friendship.
In some musicals the songs seem artificially ‘slotted in’, but here Dougal Irvine’s excellent music is completely in keeping with the context, the tale and the characters. Accompanied by two acoustic guitars, the brilliantly funny lyrics are all clearly audible and the singing is first class – I was particularly impressed by the voice of Liam Tamne, but Chris Fountain, Jack Shalloo and Steven Webb also sang very well.
I felt a bit sorry for Verity Rushworth in the role of Sophie which is pivotal but a bit under-written, making her seem an ‘extra’, but she played it very well indeed. Spesh Moloney and the composer provided fine accompaniment.
This is an uplifting feel good show which I really hope has a life beyond this short run at Waterloo East Theatre (itself a welcome addition to the cultural landscape of SE1), but don’t wait, go now while you can.
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