Review: Water Babies at the Leicester Curve Theatre

Tom Milner (Tom) & Lauren Samuels (Ellie)

Water Babies

Leicester Curve Theatre

Reviewed on Tuesday 6th May 2014

Time and time again I find myself complaining about shows opening in the West End before they're ready. Stephen Ward, From Here To Eternity and I Can't Sing are all examples of musicals which opened in the West End too soon and would have hugely benefited from out of town runs to allow the writers and creative teams more time to develop and fine-tune their shows.

Thankfully the producers of Water Babies know what they’re doing as if Chris Egan, Ed Curtis and Guy Jones' new musical opened in the West End in its current form it would be problematic. However, if this limited run at the renowned Leicester Curve Theatre is used wisely, Water Babies could become a huge West End hit. 

Inspired by Charles Kingsley's classic novel, which has also been adapted into a film, Water Babies follows Tom who, after being framed for a crime he didn't commit (and quickly falling in love with Ellie), finds himself jumping off the edge of a waterfall. Much to his surprise he finds himself face to face with Mrs D in a peculiar yet enchanting world. The show starts off well, but once established Water Babies simply follows Tom as he tries to find a way back home - it's a little too formulaic.

Tom Lister (Eel) & the cast of Water Babies

The cast are mostly very strong. Louise Dearman is the star of the show. I have often described Dearman as the Goddess of theatre, and she is in her element as she glides around the stage, casting a spell over the audience with her mystifyingly brilliant vocal talents. Dearman soars into her impressive soprano range and belts out some huge notes whilst making it all look so effortless. She manages to sing the sometimes bland lyrics with conviction and delivers the text with strength. 

Louise Dearman (Mrs D)

Thomas Milner has some great moments as Tom, although I didn't always feel compassion for the character. Milner reaches and holds onto all the big notes, but isn't vocally consistent. 

Lauren Samuels shines as Ellie, her voice is stunning, but sadly the character is underused. Ellie is slid on and off stage on a side platform too many times which becomes hugely repetitive. It would have been nice to see Samuels have her moment in the spotlight - with the right song she could easily blow the roof off the Leicester Curve Theatre.

The score has some really nice moments, but is sometimes forgettable. Several songs need to be axed or heavily re-written as sometimes the music sounds too simple and the orchestrations felt robotic (despite the live band). The score lacks adventure or excitement; it would be nice if the songs could tell more of the story and move time along as occasionally the pace could be picked up. 

I enjoyed most of Mrs D's numbers and her duet with Ellie entitled 'Waiting For You' is the highlight of the show. The huge applause from the audience proved just how strong the song is compared to the rest of the score, it was the only time I found myself connected to the piece. It’s a fantastic number and Dearman and Samuels’ voices blend together beautifully. 

The book is sometimes clumsy and lacks fluidity. Several jokes are awkward which could easily be changed. There are some crazy moments, one which springs to mind featured a cast member flying into the air whilst squirting water over the audience with a water pistol – it looked extremely tacky. 

Tom encounters three sea creatures on his journey. Played by Andy Gray (Jock), Samuel Holmes (Terrence) and Tom Davey (Claude), the characters proved hugely popular with the audience and have some hilarious lines. However, the trio are crying out for a huge production number. Presently their final song is very short and safe - featuring only a couple of box steps. I think they need a HUGE production number with tap dancing, key changes, glamorous backing dancers and costume changes galore. 

Tom Davey (Claude), Samuels Holmes (Terrence) & Andy Gray (Jock) with Tom Milner (Tom)

During my recent Broadway trip I saw James Monroe Iglehart bring the audience to their feet in Aladdin after he pulled out all the stops during his seven minute rendition of 'Friend Like Me'. It was an incredible moment and left the audience buzzing. The special effects are impressive, but Water Babies needs to give the audience something else to be excited about - a great opportunity has been missed with these terrific characters. 

Producers have pushed the 'never seen before special effects' in the show’s marketing. These effects are clever but could be even bigger. The holograms are interesting, personally I could live without them, but they are likely to attract audiences. Projections/holograms/visuals are used at the back of the stage; however, they only cover a small rectangular section and could be larger and more impressionable. The waterfall creates a beautiful moment as the musical concludes. It completely changes the atmosphere and looks magnificent. 

I'm so excited to see what the future holds for Water Babies. If the show is completely revamped it could certainly grow into a successful musical. The concept and vision is perfect, Water Babies just needs time to find its feet. Currently it's a nice pantomime alternative, but Water Babies could be so much more – it could have huge wide appeal instead of having a children's show vibe. It needs a score which musical theatre fans will become obsessed with and moments that audience members will want to tell all their friends about. 

Although it's certainly a work in progress, I would highly recommend seeing Water Babies at the Curve. It's always exciting to see a musical at the start of its journey. The cast are phenomenal and the atmosphere is truly uplifting. All involved should be very proud, they are on track to creating something very special. If I lived nearer to Leicester I would certainly go again!

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor) 

Water Babies runs at the Leicester Curve Theatre until Saturday 17th May 2014.
Please visit www.waterbabiesthemusical.com for further information and tickets.

Read our recent interviews with Louise Dearman and Lauren Samuels

Photo Credit: Johan Persson

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