Songs From A Ledge is a new blues musical featuring original music which tells the story of the fictional blues star Maria Lynwood who is known as the ‘red queen’. It documents her life and that of her great granddaughter who is attempting to write Maria’s biography after receiving a box of her possessions.
It is great to see new original musicals, especially in an industry filled with jukebox musicals – one feels there is not enough support or a platform for new work in this field to truly emerge and develop. The music is witty and cleverly written, however lacks a big melodic punch that would leave you coming away humming the tunes, but that style of writing does seem to be on the decline.
The design, by Bex Phillips, is very apt indeed. It both creates the 1920’s jazz bar on one side of the traverse stage and the 21st century jumbled home on the other. The songs sung at the piano become a problem, as all the acting is lost as the characters show only their backs to the audience: however in such a space it would have been difficult to get around this issue.
The direction by Lana Maclver is neat, if not incredibly imaginative – although part of this is due to the constraints of such a small scale production. It would be nice to see this production on a larger scale with a bigger budget to play with allowing for a little more imagination.
Amy Kakoura has a big voice to match the star Maria’s talent, her portrayal is a touching one as the torment of a troubled life is unleashed through her song. Jessica Duncan, of Guildford School of Acting, is absolutely delightful in the roles of Annalie and May. Already she shows herself to be an accomplished actor and vocalist and her down to earth performance has the precision you would expect of a much more experienced performer – keep an eye out for her in the future.
The show is dark, witty and has heart to it. The script is cleverly pieced together; the reading of two separate letters overlapping each other is, in particular, a real delight. Some refinements could be helpful, particularly towards the end of the production as the pace drops: but the creative team and cast must be commended for what is a liberating and committed piece of work.
A bold new piece, with a clever script and score full of wistful moments. Sure, it needs some refinements to ensure it engages throughout; but the raw material makes for a compelling watch. ★★★★☆ Sam Chipman 18/11/14
