Set in modern-day America, this Broadway style musical does not hold back on ambition. Originating as a university project by Gregor Blair Satti and Rebekah Holly Neilson, with book and additional lyrics by Amy Nic, it has 15 musical numbers and a full-scale story. The show runs to over two hours and does not drag – there’s plenty of incident and characters – and what a pleasure to have a live orchestra.
Daisy Maver Young absolutely nails the demanding lead role of Sam
The lead character is Sam, a girl working as a waitress in an American Diner. She’s too closed-off to make friends with the other waitresses; and Dirk, the boss of the Diner, is a martinet who makes work miserable. She works overtime to pay the medical bills of her sick mother who she spends every evening visiting in hospital. If it wasn’t for the musical numbers the story would be unrelentingly grim.
Sam begins to thaw due to two customers of the Diner: Jamie, the romantic interest, and the kindly Michael, for whom she feels a mysterious connection.
The story has a strange balance, with the misery memoir aspects too easily replaced by American-style therapy optimism and redemption.
However, reservations with the book do not detract from the energetic and talented cast, or the brio of the group numbers. Daisy Maver Young absolutely nails the demanding lead role of Sam, and there is standout singing from Ciaran Walshe as Michael. And the finale number is a cracker.
