Pieces Of String
Mercury Theatre Colchester, 20 Apr – 5 May
Finding your theatrical entertainment beyond the boundaries of the M25 can sometimes lead to huge rewards, and those rewards don’t come much bigger than tonights journey to the Mercury Theatre Colchester to see the official launch of a brand new LGBT musical Pieces Of String. Not since last years Strangers In Between have I been this excited, and moved, by a piece of modern theatre… and even longer for a musical to push so many emotional buttons. Not only is Pieces Of String a slice of this genre at it’s absolute finest but with a love story at it’s centre, the ramifications of which are sent reverberating down the generations, this is also a deeply emotional journey written and composed by Gus Gowland, directed by Ryan McBryde and played to perfection by an incredibly talented cast. As you can probably tell by now, I liked this… I liked it a lot, and I was certainly not alone as there was no hesitation from the crowded auditorium in unanimously rising to their feet at the end for a well deserved standing ovation, fully acknowledging that we had all just witnessed something incredibly special.
The story itself is set in a house during two time periods, the crossing of which is masterly written and the interaction of the characters on stage equally well directed. As the show begins we are introduced to young couple Anna (Lauren Hall) and Edward (Craig Mather) who are moving in to a house together. This is the 1940’s and Edward is soon to leave to fight in the second world war. However, they soon become spectres of the past bathed in their own light as we find ourselves simultaneously being introduced in the present day to Jane (Carol Starks) and her two children Gemma (Ella Dunlop) and Ed (Andy Coxon) along with Ed’s partner Harry (Gary Wood), packing the contents of the house away after a funeral. What follows is a wonderfully choreographed switching between these two timelines, each scene bringing a fresh dynamic to the story and directed with such flair that each narrative thread remains clearly defined, even whilst characters from both era’s occupy the stage at the same time, and it is in the moments when their voices come together in unison that the beautiful counter melodies and harmonies send the songs soaring to even greater emotional heights, as they steer us through the unravelling moments of unrequited love, betrayal, denial, discovery and regret. That’s not to say there aren’t more lighthearted moments in this well paced story, and it’s through Marilyn Cutts elderly character Rose, (who received the first of this evenings many spontaneous rounds of applause), and Jane’s daughter Gemma that we get to enjoy some exquisite comic timing.
With the two soldiers Edward and Tom (Joel Harper-Jackson) having the pivotal relationship of the story, many other relationships are examined in the wake of their love, those of the present day mother and her children, the relationships between siblings across the two timelines and, in an echo of the central relationship, Ed and Harry also find themselves fighting for their right to love in the present day. I am not quite sure of the thinking behind having the couple appear seemingly oblivious to each others presence in the staging of their duet in the first half but as a result, for me it led to this being the only moment that failed to maximise on it's emotional potential, but this was a very small niggle in an otherwise faultless production.
“In our own little way, we will change the world some day” sings one of the characters, and given the musicals central themes and the scale on which it has been produced, this is a lavish, bold and beautiful statement, putting into mainstream musical theatre stories that have, for far to long been denied the acknowledgement they deserve, and it’s a scale of vision that I hope goes on to get the success it deserves. I overheard one of the audience say to his partner as they left the theatre, “Such an interesting story, so sensitively told…Oh, and did you hear those harmonies?” The whole team, (and I do mean the whole team, including the superb set and lighting design), deserve to be exceptionally proud of this production, and I hope it’s not to long before it finds a home in the West End, or even Broadway… It’s more than ready! In the meantime, catch it in Colchester if you can, so that you can also say you were there at the beginning of whatever the future has in store for this five star production.
★★★★★
photographs: Robert Workman