Theatre review: Midnight Cowboy

Technically not a screen-to-stage adaptation as it's officially based directly on the novel by James Leo Herlihy, Midnight Cowboy is regardless a musical that's fated to be compared to the beloved 1969 movie; which I actually haven't seen, as it turns out, but Ian's a fan and informs me that Max Bowden's performance as Rico 'Ratso' Rizzo is... shall we say not entirely uninfluenced by Dustin Hoffman's performance in the film. Bryony Lavery (book) and Francis 'Eg' White's (music and lyrics) adaptation follows Joe Buck (Paul Jacob French) from Texas (or possibly Arkansas) to New York, where he intends to make his fortune selling sex for cash. Given his homophobic comments early on it's clear that one of the many ways he's deluded himself is in thinking this will involve vaginal sex, but he's soon disabused of this notion.

Theatre review: Then, Now & Next

With the new Elephant venue already feeling well-established, it feels like ages since I went back to the Borough building that's been Southwark Playhouse's home for the last decade (I can only take so many Macbeths, OK?) But not all the new musicals have been shipped to the new venue, and The Large premieres Then, Now & Next, a first venture into writing for current Phantom Jon Robyns, and fellow musical theatre actor Christopher J Orton (book, music and lyrics.) It is, needless to say, a lockdown project, the two actors having decided to make a more serious attempt at an idea they'd toyed with when they were in Spamalot together. The result is a low-key chamber musical about Alex (Alice Fearn) and the most serious relationships of her twenties and thirties. We meet her with Peter (Peter Hannah,) with whom she has a young son.

Theatre review: Tree

It’s meant to be something of a party but the Young Vic’s Tree will likely be remembered as the show where Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah Milkshake Ducked, after the controversy over how much of the show they’re credited with creating actually owes to writers Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley. The latter two are credited in the programme notes as having “helped Elba along the way” – in his personal list of thanks, not the official acknowledgements – and under the circumstances it’s interesting to note that there’s no specific writing credit anywhere. But obviously I have no way of judging who’s in the right so all I can say is what the finished article is like. I can say that from an audience point of view it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster figuring out if the show would give me backache – I booked when it went on sale back in November 2018 before the configuration had been finalised, and a couple of months ago the website blurb announced that Tree was meant to be experienced standing, with only a handful of seated tickets available for those with access issues.

Theatre review: After the Turn

After the Turn reunites Steven Webb and Ashleigh Gray, and unlike their last show together, Gray gets to have a body below the neck this time,which must be nice for her. It's probably also a nice change for Webb to be out of school uniform and play someone his own age, as 20-something Will, who's found himself the legal guardian of his teenage nephew after his sister's death. Michael (Liam Doyle) has gone mute since his mother died (but his hearing and sight seem fine; no word on what his pinball abilities are like.) Stephen Rolley voices and sings Michael's thoughts, as well as playing him in flashbacks to when he was younger and more Welsh, opposite Gray as his DeadMum. In a last-ditch effort to get Michael talking again, Will enlists ex-girlfriend Lauren (Tori Allen-Martin.) She's now living with his former band-mate Wolf (Greg Oliver, whose singing is better than his acting,) now working for a record company and hoping to sign Michael to his label.

The publicity for After the Turn suggests it's primarily a showcase for the music of composer Tim Prottey-Jones, and on this front it's utterly successful. There's barely a weak number, Prottey-Jones' style is a pop-rock that's spot-on for musical theatre, and I can easily see him supplying tunes to a large-scale production. The framework to the songs is a lot more rough and ready (I follow Webb on Twitter¹ so know their rehearsal time was virtually non-existent.) The story is a mish-mash of familiar ideas, the book by Robert Gould and director Sarah Henley is several drafts away from ready, and the whole show's at least 20 minutes too long. I won't go into the plot holes, although exactly what Wolf does at the record company seems to vary from scene to scene. Whatever it is he can't be much good at it, since he apparently needs to sign a new act, and is concentrating his efforts entirely on someone who doesn't even talk, let alone sing. I think because he does coke and has an appalling haircut, the record label figured they should probably give him a job.

But overall there's a lot to enjoy here, if you don't worry about the story too much you're left with an attractive cast, putting a lot of energy and enthusiasm into good songs. Webb, Gray, Doyle and Oliver can all sell a tune; Allen-Martin is wobbly at times, and Rolley has a couple of songs pitched too high for his voice, but the ones in the right key he can belt out like a good'un. LOOK AT ME USING WORDS AS IF I KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN! "Pitched." "Key." Smoke and mirrors, honestly. Anyway After the Turn is far from the finished article but the things it does do well it has got just right.

After the Turn by Tim Prottey-Jones, Robert Gould, Tori Allen-Martin, Angela Prottey-Jones and Sarah Henley is booking until the 25th of February at the Courtyard Theatre, Hoxton.

Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes including interval.

¹slightly surreally, he replied to my tweet about the show during the interval. I'd tweeted about the unfortunately-placed hole in his jeans. Because I'm all about the things that really matter. He was also retweeting reviews of the show at the time - reading reviews during the interval? SURELY THAT WAY MADNESS LIES!