A Bowl of Cherries is a new musical with lyrics and music by David Martin. Or is it a musical revue based on music by the writer of ‘Can’t smile without you’? Either way, it doesn’t work.
Gary Wilmot and the cast do a sterling job trying to perform this musical within a play, whose storylines are tenuous at best. The cast are all full of energy and conviction, with some truly gifted performers amongst them, but no performer could untangle the mess of a plot line that exists in this show.
Along with the rest of the audience, I found myself watching three very different shows that had been wedged uncomfortably together: one, the tale of Albert and Penny who are trapped in theatrical limbo; second, a short collection of scenes from plays charting the life of people and relationships, sometimes with true conviction and grit, and others weaker – begging for a more skilled wordsmith; and the final element, a series of songs including a singing vicar and some comedy rap.
The first act is hard going, with some cringe-worthy moments as a group of older performers pretend to be children, and the audible sniggers through the performance of “Can’t smile without you”. The relationships of performers on stage become hard work to watch at times, as almost every imaginable cliché makes an appearance.
Yet the second act held far more promise, including a pair of well-paced and razor sharp interludes from Gary Wilmot and Julie Jupp. The songs still do not overly cohere with the rest of the show, but continue to be delivered with dedication and talent from an underused cast. Such a strong cast are here let down by three very different theatrical entities, crudely stapled together on a bland set. An evening of short plays would have been enjoyable. A musical revue would have been fun. And ‘lost theatrical souls’ would have been interesting as a stand-alone story. Together, however, the elements simply do not gel, leaving me leaving the show with an lingering sour taste.
