By Imogen
Link: https://www.stream.theatre/season/83
Available until: Livestreams on Sunday 25th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm, Monday 27th 12.20am and 7.30pm, Tuesday 28th at 12.30am.
In Pieces is a new musical with music by Joey Contreras. There is no book, just lots of songs one after another and it’s performed by lots of big West End stars.
The music is very good. If I had to say what style it is I would say some of it is similar to Dear Evan Hansen but the music doesn’t all sound the same. It is tuneful and fun and there are some sad and lyrical songs too.
A lot of it is set in a shopping centre. I think it’s really a sort of kids’ play area where they can pretend to do grown up jobs but it’s set up like a shopping centre. I haven’t been to a shopping centre for like 14 months which is probably the longest like EVER. I could go on my own but it’s not nearly as fun trying on clothes by myself and there’s probably some rule against it now anyway and what’s the point in following a gorgeous boy into a shop when you can’t go near him and you can’t be completely sure he really is gorgeous if he’s got a mask on? And if he’s not got a mask on, it doesn’t matter how cute he is, he’s an inconsiderate twit! I have standards. (I don’t usually call people twits but I was told to change what I actually wrote but I only changed 1 letter.)
But it is quite nice seeing the inside of a shopping centre again.
The musical does have characters but there aren’t that many scenes when they talk to each other so it feels more like a song cycle than a story with a plot. Jordan Luke Gage and Ross Harmon have a lovely duet and Hiba Elchikhe and Luke Street have a really funny one where they’re pretending they don’t want to see each other but mostly it’s solos. Some of them need to work on their lip synching, not just being in time with the music (which they are) but matching their mouths to the style and pitch of the note. This is easy, all they need is a good playlist to mime to, a can of hairspray to use as a microphone and a mirror and they’ll soon sort that out.
I think a book would really lift this musical. It’s got the songs and the characters seem good but a book too would make it easier to follow the stories and get to know the characters and then it could be a hit. Think about it. A lot of people love Songs for a New World which is a song cycle but do they really prefer it to musicals like Wicked and Les Miserables which are full of plot? I don’t think so. At the moment In Pieces feels like a soundtrack. A really good soundtrack but still a soundtrack.
Louis Rayneau is the director and he has some inventive ways of using the shopping centre to stage the songs. I thought the shopping centre setting would get old very quickly but it worked. Rachel Sargeant’s choreography is great to watch and really suits the music. The very strong ensemble includes Jason Leigh Winter from Kinky Boots.
Jordan Luke Gage (Grey) is obviously the star. He’s so comfortable as a performer and he puts so much emotion into his songs you can really feel them and his voice is as gorgeous as the rest of him. When he’s singing, it actually feels like he’s acting out part of a story. There is also some nice intensity from Luke Street (Hunter) and some real cuteness from Ross Harmon (Charlie). Kyle Birch (Austyn) is sweet and he shows how versatile he is by singing some quite upbeat numbers and a really emotional one.
Hiba Elchikhe (Sam) is mostly happy and smiley but she is also really manipulative and it is a sign of her talent that she’s able to bring this across just from her songs. Her voice is sounding very strong and I don’t know how she looks so good in dungarees. I wouldn’t dare personally. But she also wears the best dress in the whole musical. Danielle Steers (River) has such a versatile voice, she can produce all kinds of different sounds styles and In Pieces really gives her the chance to show this. Amy Di Bartolomeo (Alex) is another really versatile singer and she’s really good at communicating the meanings of lyrics as well as all the emotions in them. Beccy Lane plays Jael who seems quite silly but not too annoying and she’s got a great voice, quite light and sweet.
In Pieces is good but with a bit of work it could
be brilliant.
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