By Louise
Link: https://www.stream.theatre/season/51
Available until: There are live shows every night at 7.30pm until Sunday March 28th with 2.30pm matinées on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. These shows must be watched live, but the production will be available on demand from 29th March-4th April and it can be watched anytime.
Rating: PG (drugs)
BKLYN is short for Brooklyn and it is the place where the story takes place and the name of the heroine. It was originally premiered in the USA in 2003, but it didn’t come to Europe until it was performed as Brooklyn at the Greenwich Theatre in 2019, which actually seems like quite a long time ago now.
It starts off with five street performers. They decide to perform the story of Brooklyn, a Parisian girl who travels to the USA to find her dad. It’s a very emotional story about hope and love. The original UK production didn’t do that well, but I think after the last year, stories about hope and love mean more to us because we have tried to have hope all through the last year and we’ve all been separated from people we love – and people we haven’t met yet. I have a new cousin and a new cousin once removed who I haven’t met yet and I have a whole new branch of the family who we didn’t find out about till lockdown.
I think the play within a play idea works especially well now. Lockdown has really highlighted theatre performers as individuals who are finding it difficult to do their jobs, rather than as groups of performers who put on brilliant shows for us. In the outer play, the performers are playing performers so although we are completely invested in Brooklyn’s story, we are also very aware of the idea that every character in that story is played by a real actor – and that makes us think of the actual actors too.
The book, music and lyrics are by Mark Schoenfield and Barri McPherson and there are some really beautiful, emotional songs which you can feel deep inside you. Some of the songs have a jazzy sort of feel, but it’s not a relaxed sort of jazz, it’s full of passion. Leo Munby is the musical director and the band support the singers really well and they have lots of gorgeous squishy chords.
BKLYN is filmed in the Ugly Duck, which isn’t the most glamorous building, but it doesn’t matter because the singers make it beautiful with their singing. The performers start off all sitting in a circle with some really clever camera work – it kind of turns in a circle before tracking back so we can see the whole circle. Director Dean Johnson has really focused on bringing the characters and emotions out of the play within a play, but he’s also given the outer play characters and emotions so they’re interesting people too. The outer play also has a feel of live theatre and reminds us it won’t be long now.
The inner play is filmed in different settings (though I think it’s all part of the Ugly Duck) with different costumes and it’s all edited together by Sam Diaz. I like the way the action cuts between the street singers sitting in a circle for the outer circle and the scenes in the inner circle. It always feels really smooth and it happens at the right moment.
Emma Kingston is brilliant as Brooklyn. She captures all the emotions she goes through and tells her story very movingly. She is a really amazing singer too – she can sing jazz, she can belt, she can be light and lyrical… she could probably sing anything. Her Leave the Light on concert is going to be restreamed on Saturday at 5pm and I’m really excited. I didn’t see it the first time, but it’s going to be really good. It’s on Stream Theatre, the same site as BKLYN.
Marisha Wallace is spectacular as the diva Paradice. Some divas are lovely, but Paradice is troublesome and I think Ms Wallace has done really well to convey this side of her so strongly but still make her really likeable and a lot of fun to watch and also to hint at sad hidden depths. Ms Wallace really embraces the character and you can see the extent of her talent because she is such a warm and generous performer in the outer play.
Sejal Keshwala plays Faith, Brooklyn’s mum. She’s another really good singer with really impressive vocal flexibility and she is a really good dancer too. Jamie Muscato gives really emotional and moving performance as Brooklyn’s dad Taylor.
Newtion Matthews is the lead street singer and he holds
the story together. He is really good at telling a story and he can grab and hold
your attention just by the way he looks at the camera.
BKLYN is a really enjoyable musical which is full of hope
at a time when we need it.
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