When speaking of Suffolk, one rarely races to name arts or culture as its greatest export. In fact, when I mention my home county to the my musically-minded acquaintances, I am usually met with point-blank confusion, such is the apparent absence of the rural east in the nation’s creative discussion. As far as the rest of the country is concerned, Suffolk spends its time talking tractors, not trading copies of Il Tabarro. And to an extent, they are right. Which is why I am particularly proud to see a company from my hometown embarking on a debut Edinburgh performance, and to have witnessed the preview of their intimate and endearing new musical.
We Are Such Stuff is a story concerned with dreaming, carefully illustrating the surreality of the human subconscious through the mundane reality of ‘SmashThatEvent Co’ – a business dedicated to making the wishes of its clientele come true. In following the chaotic efforts of these ‘highly-skilled professionals’, We Are Such Stuff unravels the age-old idiom that we should be careful what we wish for, concluding that the innate disorder of human desire is the essence of what makes life worth living.
Although this is The Voice Squad’s first Fringe performance, the Bury St Edmunds based company has had much success as a vocal group, performing invariably at the London Palladium, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and as ‘BBC Choir of the Year’ finalists. Avoiding the usual youth theatre route of yet another Les Miserables: Schools Edition! performance, The Voice Squad have riskily chosen to present at new, self-written musical to the annual Edinburgh crowds. Whilst Such Stuff may lack the literary rigour of everyone’s favourite Victor Hugo-inspired libretto, the youth of the composers (as young as fifteen) brings an exuberance to the writing, producing wonderfully hopeful lyrics, delivered with the bare honesty that comes naturally from innocence. Indeed, the choral singing is the stand-out aspect of the show, with the controlled energy of the young company bringing a sense of teenage exhilaration to the lullaby-like chorus numbers. These moments of intense calm intersperse the otherwise farcical scenes of the ‘SmashThatEvent Co’ offices, which are, impressively, also sung. The resultant pace-changes are, unfortunately, occasionally disturbed by the unavoidable scene change; but when allowed to soar on as intended, they create a nauseating sense of disorientation, encapsulating the on-stage collision of dreams and reality.
Although those more au fait with musical theatre may recognise the melodic dialogue as a nod to the patter songs of Adam Gwon or the unforgiving librettos of Sondheim, it is also reminiscent of another Suffolk production, the National Theatre’s “verbatim” musical London Road. Though London Road is concerned with a far darker subject matter – the infamous Ipswich murders of 2006 – and is comprised of a far starrier cast (with the likes of Olivia Coleman and Tom Hardy capturing the fears and hopes of the local residents), We Are Such Stuff succeeds in establishing the same level of intimacy in its depiction of the cadence and colloquialism of everyday dialogue through music. Indeed, it is this acknowledgement of the minute aspects of life – that which is truly the “stuff that dreams are made of” – magnified by the enormous, surging choral singing that makes We Are Such Stuff so engaging.
In terms of singing, The Voice Squad are fearless, and do not shy away from a demanding vocal score which barely allows a pause for breath before pushing its performers towards a dramatic new dynamic. The writing, as is common with first-time librettists, can occasionally hand-hold cliches: Such Stuff is not without its guffawing cleaning ladies and wannabe WAGs. Yet, as its home-run in Suffolk proved, it is these familiarities which bring us back from the surreal world of a wish-granting corporation and lead us to the meaning of the show – and also bring about the biggest laughs. The quirky mix of classical singing, contemporary arrangement and unashamedly silly storylines had its East Anglian audience of all ages utterly enchanted by its fable-like morale: that even the most mundane of office workers, the lowliest of caretakers, or the teenagers from a Sorry-Never-Heard-Of-It town in Suffolk are still subject to the whim of dreams and nightmares. And though competing with the background noise of arts budget cuts and the ringing silence of rural communities not reached by culture charities, the young cast of We Are Such Stuff give a mesmerising vocal performance that truly deserves to be heard.
Word by Molly Stacey
We Are Such Stuff is on at Paradise in Augustines (Venue 152) @ 14:20, 17th – 22nd August.