★★★★✰
Four actors on stage and a pianist. Between them, they conjure the highs and lows of the performing arts: the snogs, the shrug-offs, the smiles, the sadness. Well-written, funny and exceptionally well-performed, I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical is essentially A Chorus Line without any of the plot and all (and more) of the jokes. It’s a treat.
Taking a wide-ranging gander at the life of a musical theatre performer, composer and lyricist (and pianist!) Alexander S. Bermange manages to cram in jokes and musical references into every one of its songs. From the opening number’s scuffed razzle-dazzle to an audition panel who scratch their crotches and check their watches, to a neighbour who can’t hold a note and a stand-by longing to standout, almost every aspect of an actor’s life is covered in snappy songs. Although the tunes are largely unmemorable due to the rapidity with which they are performed, they are enjoyable in the moment and offer plenty of opportunities for high notes and comic asides alike. The lyrics too are snappy, layering joke upon joke, although again at times some of these gags either become lost or overextended. Regardless, I came out of the production preparing to download the cast album: what better recommendation than that?
The true stars of the show is its four person cast, who do all the heavy lifting and then some. Each is given a couple of songs with which to shine alongside some duets and never faulter: Luke Harley is hilarious as a over-prepared chorus member; Hannah Taylor does a fabulously Florence Foster Jenkins turn whilst getting all the high notes; Harry Winchester charms as a saddened stand-by; and Alice Ellen Wright conjures the spirits of all the divas to come before her. Never hitting an unintentional bum note, the cast is truly spectacular, and pull off each dance routine and song with ease. Their chemistry with one another is also clear, and even if the little dialogue sections between each song tread on the toes of cringiness, the warmth between the actors pulls it off.
Although it’s not perfect, I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical leaves you with a melancholy spring in your step. Combining pitch-perfect performers with hilarious songs, it reaffirms both the stupidities of the theatre industry and why performers keep doing what they do. It’s magic.
Words by Issy Flower
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