There’s excitement in the air at the Shaw Theatre this evening, at the first London performance of a new musical, a feeling of being in at the start of a potential new phenomenon.
Kurt Rosenberg’s For the Lack of Laura has taken twenty-five years to reach the stage, and with a sixteen-piece orchestra on stage as well as over a dozen performers, it has arrived with a bang. The overture strikes up to accompany a lengthy credit sequence. The pre-recorded overture by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is an undeniable coup – but it’s oddly redundant with a full live orchestra sitting right there, waiting to play.
Set in the ‘distant past’ in Ireland, Laura makes a Faustian pact with the local evil sorceress Gwendolethe. In exchange for… nothing… Laura will become immortal, and gain the power to travel through time and space. The catch is that if she ever falls in love, she will become mortal again and begin to age normally, while her partner takes on her immortality.
As Faustian pacts go, it feels like a pretty good deal from the outset, so despite a half-hearted warning from her father (a suitably twinkly-eyed turn from Cian Forde – it would have been nice to see more of him), Laura swiftly signs up to immortality. She sings a whole song (‘Destined For Greater Things’) about escaping her home town and exploring the world – only to launch straight into an epic quest through time and space to find a husband.
The first half of the show takes us through Laura meeting five potential life partners across the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. She breezes between encounters as though she’s swiping through magical Tinder, seeking gifted men for a bit of ‘temporal nexus and chill’. A bullfighter, a ballet dancer, a writer, an artist, and a country vicar all come and go.
Each of the five suitors gets a couple of scenes and songs, and all are great fun. Lenny Turner’s earnest Allan frets around his unlikely orange tree but is probably the best of the male singers, Tobi Kaye is an impassioned political writer who deserved a bit more time on stage. Finn O’Callaghan is a tortured Parisian artist who is a lot of fun to watch, but always seems the least likely to win Laura’s affection (perhaps it’s the beret), and Mikail is a wonderfully camp ballet dancer. Completing the quintet of gifted men is Keith Hanley’s show-stealing turn as the bullfighter Salvador, surrounded by adoring female fans.
In the second act, Laura comes to realise that she must choose between the five suitors, which doesn’t seem too difficult given that she can’t seem to stand at least two of them, and of course she confronts Gwendolythe. Which man will she choose? One of the four comic relief stereotypes, or the other one?
There’s a distinctly Celtic flavour to the music, which matches the Irish setting, combined with a more traditional musical theatre style. The songs are wonderful, the orchestra are on magnificent form, and the cast are in fine voice. The beguiling Laura leads the cast, played with great gusto and energy by Jane Patterson, whose strong voice carries the show. It’s clearly a demanding central performance and Patterson carries it off with great flair.
As Gwendolethe, Mo Lombardo gets to chew scenery and belt out songs and evil cackling in roughly equal measure. She gives a thoroughly enjoyable performance, and it’s very telling that when she takes her bow at the end of the evening, the audience seem genuinely unsure whether she ought to be booed or applauded.
No romantic comedy, even one set across an epic adventure through time and space, would be complete without the character of the sensible best friend, and Emma Daly cheerfully takes on this role as the practical Maggie. Daly also gets one of the best songs with ‘When the Moon is Full’. Maggie gets her own subplot with Brian May’s kindly Patrick, but I can’t be the only audience member thinking Laura should probably have sacked off the travels across time and space and just shacked up with her delightful best friend. By the second half, Maggie’s even accepting Laura’s parcel deliveries, so you had to wonder.
Many of the songs include dance numbers from both the main cast and the substantial ensemble, slickly choreographed by Declan J. Gardner, but For the Lack of Laura always feels as though the music and vocals come first and foremost. The show tends to lose pace whenever it lingers too long between songs. Some of the dialogue feels as though it could have used a final edit, and a few leaden cues suggest that some of the cast are more comfortable singing than they are acting.
Laura’s time travelling is conveyed through a nice graphical sequence which is genuinely impressive the first time it plays, combined with whirling lights and stirring music. Unfortunately, it plays at least seven more times – each one sapping a bit more of the show’s momentum. It’s a relief when the effect is quietly retired for the second act.
Directors Jake and Luke Morgan have brought a wildly ambitious show to life, and a talented cast sing their heart out. It feels as though all the elements are in place for a truly classic new musical, which just needs a little tightening and fine-tuning. Still, this is a dazzling debut, with genuine fun for all the family.
For the Lack of Laura is playing at The Shaw Theatre until Aug 2nd.
Book your tickets at forthelackoflaura.com
Words by Andrew Lawston
Photography Brigid Vinnell
