20-24 September
The King of Reggae – The Man – The Musical has confounded me. The show pulled me in two different directions, and since I sat down to write this review, I’ve been scratching my chin a little.
Is it the musical I expected to see? No. Is it even a musical? It’s up for debate. But is the music itself within the show sublime? Yes. The band should be immensely proud.
Rush Theatre Company, who produced the critically acclaimed RUSH – A Joyous Jamaican Journey, offer this new production as a ‘narrated musical’ in the press, telling of Bob Marley’s life and discography. We hear over 20 of his hits including Is This Love, Waiting in Vain, No Woman No Cry, and more. In between we are told of his life story, from his birth in Nine Mile to growing up in Trenchtown and right through till he is a worldwide Rastafarian icon.
After a rousing opening, we are introduced to our Narrator, who refers to IKA the lead vocalist as “our Bob”. And then things start to become unclear. The screen at the back begins to be used for the presentation of Marley’s life, and the momentum is sucked from the show.
Who is the Narrator in relation to Marley? Is she his mother, is she a fan, is she an omniscient character? She’ll refer to him in the second person, saying “you did this” and “you did that”, and then Marley is never afforded the opportunity to respond. The rare occasion that IKA does speak, it is warm and makes us want to see more.
Momentum is regained in the second half of the show, as the interstitial parts between songs become more abridged and the pace builds. The audience is dancing. The audience dances an awful lot – and that’s where I find myself wanting to laud the show. Bob Marley truly is the King of Reggae and there is some demonstration of how his ethics, his politics and his spirituality affected the world, but it is much less powerful than when the music alone is allowed to speak. It does it on its own, much more simply and effectively.
My brain itches wondering why I’m watching a historical PowerPoint presentation when surely there are more interesting ways to tell this story. In fact, I know there are. In the same venue, no less.
If you want a night out but aren’t one for clubs or pubs, if you want the gig experience but in a more comfortable setting, this is the show for you. “Our Bob”, the pitch-perfect backing vocalists, the musicians… They are all a reason to see The King of Reggae – The Man – The Music.
★★★☆☆ Will Amott 21/9/2022
photo credit @ Kor Production Photos
