Review: Before The Night Is Through (From Page To Stage Festival) at the Landor Theatre

Before The Night Is Through (From Page To Stage Festival)
Landor Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 19th February 2014

Before The Night Is Through is a new British musical  receiving its world premiere this week at the Landor Theatre as part of Aria Entertainment's season of new writing, From Page To Stage. The murder mystery musical (with a twist) has book and lyrics by Olivia Thompson and music by Chris Whitehead.

Set in 1935, the first act of Before The Night Is Through sees England’s biggest movie star Honey Quenelle host a lavish party to celebrate her birthday at her remote home on Lost Crow Island. As the evening progresses and the champagne flows it seems most guests are with reason to want the star dead. As the first act concludes Before The Night Is Through appears to be just another predictable murder mystery story... but is it? 

From Page To Stage isn't about putting on perfectly polished musicals. Questionnaires are placed on all the seats as honest, constructive audience feedback is important for the future of all the pieces staged as part of the festival. The cast of Before The Night Is Through have only had a few days rehearsal, and although this is evident at times the production is good enough to give audiences a taste of what the show is all about.

Before The Night Is Through is written with style and has a timeless classic edge throughout. Personally I found some of the more subtle moments funnier than some of the forced in-your-face jokes, although the combination of the randomness of Mabel's lines and Kate Brennan's impeccable delivery is hysterical and the perfect recipe for a comical dream. 

The first act is considerably weaker than the second, I lost interest several times. The musical's writer, Olivia Thompson, stepped in to play Verona DuVall at the very last minute and does the best she can. The cast are good but it wasn't until Kieran Brown's act two rendition of 'A Very Touching Story' that the performance was taken up a notch. Kieran Brown's voice belongs on a West End stage.

Just as I thought the performance was coming to an end, Jenny Gayner stepped into the spotlight and stole the evening with the most incredible rendition of 'Sorry'. Words cannot describe the sheer brilliance of her delivery, she is the best comical character actress I have seen on stage for a very long time. A stand out performance also came from Amelia Adams-Pearce whose vocals were beautiful, I loved her rendition of 'Little Mabel' during which she also displayed great comic timing.

Before The Night Is Through may be one of the most bizarre musicals ever written, but with further work and development it could have an interesting future. A few musical numbers need to be replaced and some characters re-written. I loved the company number 'Just Like The Movies' which closes act one and was left humming it during the interval. More ensemble numbers like this could help with the structure. The piece would also benefit from concluding faster.

It's always exciting to be one of the very first people to see a new piece of writing and even more exciting to know that your opinion counts. I would highly recommend taking a risk and booking to see something during Aria Entertainment's From Page To Stage festival of new musical theatre writing. As long as you're open minded and prepared to use your imagination you could have a wonderful theatrical experience.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com

Before The Night Is Through  runs at the Landor Theatre until Sunday 23rd February 2014.
Please visit www.frompage2stage.com for further information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Charlotte Hopkins

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