Where Theatre In Heights' production of this new musical is strongest is in its capacity to entertain. The part-song cycle part-play has its brilliantly funny moments, and without a doubt has been musically directed with skill by Robert Newth. That said, a severe imbalance in volume (the piano often drowning out the rest of the band and all the singers) damages the performance, and quite often singing conventions found in musical theatre have been thrown together without much thought as to whether they actually click. Approaching the show as a play with songs and building from there, as it seems Theatre In Heights have done, has worked for the most part, but the scenes between songs sadly lack the 'oomph' they need to pull the show together.
Blythe Stewart's direction is not without fault but is overall quite strong; it seems that the actors don't quite live up to her intentions, with sloppy movement often ruining sharply directed scenes. A potential solution to this problem would have been found simply in decreasing the sheer level of movement in the show - actors very rarely stand still, if at all, though this does provide a welcome visual feast. In contrast, emotionally, actors don't quite commit enough, leaving many songs short of the pull they may have intended.
All that aside, however, this is a competent production, and the repeated theme 'Twentysomething' (no, not the Jamie Cullum song) is by far the best thing about the show. Ella Vize's performance in particular enchants, though there are strong contrasts in quality of performance across the cast. Mitch Miller in particular has one of the stronger voices, but his awkward physicality sadly prevents him from fully captivating his audience. This team may be one to watch, but this show probably isn't.
