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Ushers: The Front of House Musical
Hope Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 6th December 2013
The Hope Theatre is a new 50 seat theatre which has opened above the Hope and Anchor Pub on Upper Street in Islington. The theatre has been set up by the team behind the King's Head Theatre to support new writing. Ushers: The Front of House Musical has a book by James Rottger, music by Yiannis Koutsakos and lyrics by James Oban and Yiannis Koutsakos, with additional lyrics by James Rottger and Maia Henry. The show was recently entered into West End Producer's 'Search For A Twitter Composer' competition and is now receiving its world premiere at the Hope Theatre.
The idea behind Ushers is very clever and makes a unique topic for a musical. As you would expect from the show's title, Ushers follows six front of house staff as they embark on another shift in a West End theatre. There are nightmare customers, love dramas and of course a promotion-hungry supervisor. Aspects of the story are clearly observational which is my favourite type of comedy.
Ushers is nowhere near perfect but is bursting with potential. Is is the musical's structure which is its downfall. The piece is too formulaic. Ushers is an ensemble and as the story (eventually) progressed I could guess what was going to happen next based on who was yet to have their solo song. In act two the story actually becomes a little exciting but this is ruined with a cheesy ending one would expect to find in a pantomime. Ensemble shows don't always have to be formulaic. If you rip apart A Chorus Line the musical is essentially a structured ensemble show, the performers take turns to delve into their story, yet it never becomes predictable and the piece keeps the audience on their toes. Ushers does not.
For a stereotypical pub theatre show this is fine, but if the show wants further life a lot of work is needed. I can imagine Ushers in the West End, the cast could come bouncing through the audience and on to the stage. The atmosphere could be terrific and the show would be quite a spectacle! Ushers features two love stories, one sincere and one cheesy. This contrast does not work and leads to several cheap laughs. The style needs more consistency - is the show trying to be truthful and heartfelt or cheesy and predictable?
The idea behind Ushers is very clever and makes a unique topic for a musical. As you would expect from the show's title, Ushers follows six front of house staff as they embark on another shift in a West End theatre. There are nightmare customers, love dramas and of course a promotion-hungry supervisor. Aspects of the story are clearly observational which is my favourite type of comedy.
Ushers is nowhere near perfect but is bursting with potential. Is is the musical's structure which is its downfall. The piece is too formulaic. Ushers is an ensemble and as the story (eventually) progressed I could guess what was going to happen next based on who was yet to have their solo song. In act two the story actually becomes a little exciting but this is ruined with a cheesy ending one would expect to find in a pantomime. Ensemble shows don't always have to be formulaic. If you rip apart A Chorus Line the musical is essentially a structured ensemble show, the performers take turns to delve into their story, yet it never becomes predictable and the piece keeps the audience on their toes. Ushers does not.
For a stereotypical pub theatre show this is fine, but if the show wants further life a lot of work is needed. I can imagine Ushers in the West End, the cast could come bouncing through the audience and on to the stage. The atmosphere could be terrific and the show would be quite a spectacle! Ushers features two love stories, one sincere and one cheesy. This contrast does not work and leads to several cheap laughs. The style needs more consistency - is the show trying to be truthful and heartfelt or cheesy and predictable?
I quite enjoyed the score, particularly the livelier numbers. The show ends with an energetic tap number which was delightful, although the people in the pub below must have wondered what on earth was going on upstairs! The stand out performance came from Liam Ross-Mills who performed the text with control and some depth. His vocals were also incredible!
This review may seem a little harsh, but with new writing I think it is so important to be completely honest to help drive a piece forward. Ushers provides a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the theatre. It is one of the stagiest shows ever written! With lots of hard work Ushers could have an exciting future ahead. It's vital that theatregoers take the risk and support new writing.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Edior)
andrew@westendframe.com
Ushers runs at the Hope Theatre until 31st December 2013.
Please visit www.kingsheadtheatre.com/hope-theatre for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit: John Hunter
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