Luke Speirs' new musical presents a love triangle between three best friends and the fallout of their relationships as a result of Tom's (Sam Rich) unrequited love for Drew (Luke Speirs). Drew is an all-American drama student with a weakness for corny music and his girlfriend, Laura (Daisy Tipping). The audience are promised an 'enthralling tale of hope and loyalty', and attempting to achieve this in a mere 50 minutes is admirable. However, the musical is too ambitious for the limited time it has, as character development is at a minimum and the plot moves at an alarmingly unrealistic rate. Whilst the relatively catchy score should, as in most musicals, allow the narrative to develop forwards, the songs simply reiterate what has been established in the rushed dialogue. Praise must be given to the skillful musicians (particularly Tipping for his vocal talents), although Speirs' singing was unfortunately strained and often out of tune.
The musical is too ambitious for the limited time it has, as character development is at a minimum and the plot moves at an alarmingly unrealistic rate.
The script itself was overly dramatic and therefore prevented the audience from connecting with the characters. The staging of Tom’s final scene in particular was awkward to watch and this resulted in an absence of sympathy for the character.
Great comic relief came from Torie Cooper and Cameron Isherwood in the roles of Laura and Sam, respectively. Their dry humour worked as a foil to the melodrama of the main characters and the addition of satirical comments about the nature of rehearsals and performing arts were well received by the audience.
Ironically, Tom's initial line about Drew's corny lyrics is representative of the entire show; the script was clichéd and the characters remained shallow throughout. The direction was similarly amateur, particularly in the poorly choreographed fight scene. Ultimately the fundamental flaws in the script left the actors with little to work with.
I found myself entertained throughout, although perhaps for the wrong reasons.
