REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Songs for a New World
10th – 13th August 2022 (20:00, Saturday Matinee: 14:30)
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend-On-Sea
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
Songs for a New World
10th – 13th August 2022 (20:00, Saturday Matinee: 14:30)
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend-On-Sea
OH MY GOODNESS! The temperature's getting pretty hot outside now but, I have to tell you, the talent inside Southend's Dixon Studio this week is off the mercurial scale. Fortunately, the studio is fully air-conditioned but that doesn't detract from the sizzling performances that this production delivers.
Tony Award winning, Jason Robert Brown, has almost a cult following within the musical theatre world and with good reason; his writing is phenomenal and his music is probably right up there with the most technically challenging, alongside Sondheim's perhaps, and Songs for a New World showcases his musical sophistication perfectly.
Songs for a New World is described as a song cycle - neither a musical theatre piece nor a revue - a series of songs all connected by a theme: the moment of decision. Brown describes the moment as 'hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.'
Consisting of just two women and two men, these are monumental roles to cast but Quite Good Theatre company have picked the cream of Southend's crop with Eleanore Frances, Ashton Moore, Reanne Nash and Declan Wright. Right from the opening number, The New World it's pretty obvious that we are going to be in for one helluva of a treat with the company's vocals blending together to form super smooth harmonies. There are many goosebump moments.
Each song provides its own brilliant story and style and gives each cast member the opportunity to show off their incredible vocal skills and ranges. Declan Wright impresses immediately with On the Deck of a Spanish Ship, 1492 and Eleanore Frances shows us how to do to the funny with Just One Step as a married woman teetering on the edge of her New York high rise threatening to her husband that she's going to jump. She has us laughing again with Surabaya-Santa; who knew Mrs Claus had so much angst? Again, brilliantly portrayed and sung. Reanne Nash's beautiful vocals are brought to the fore throughout the evening but stood out in particular with a highly emotive rendition of I'm Not Afraid of Anything. Ashton Moore shows off his musicianship in She Cries where we really feel the pain of a man unable to leave his partner. I could tell you how every song and singer have their reasons to be heard but you really should go and find out for yourself.
Director, Kai Wright has done a great job with movement and nuance as the cast perform and deliver each of their songs. The set has been designed as if you're hanging out in a New York loft apartment. Check out the lampshades. Lighting is moody and there's a definite 'off Broadway' vibe to the whole space - it's almost as if you've been transported, with an atmosphere created where you can virtually breathe in the scent of something special about to take off.
The band, under the supervision of Liam Holmes on keys, is just fabulous, providing an amazing sound. Declan Wright's performance of King of the World is highlighted by the amazing musicianship in this number. Holmes is seemingly in his element and his love for Jason Robert Brown is clearly affirmed here. Also, a shout out to Glenn Oxenbury, who always makes the sound so seamless and clear.
Anyone with a passion for musical theatre should not miss this outstanding production.
Review: Kim Tobin
Tony Award winning, Jason Robert Brown, has almost a cult following within the musical theatre world and with good reason; his writing is phenomenal and his music is probably right up there with the most technically challenging, alongside Sondheim's perhaps, and Songs for a New World showcases his musical sophistication perfectly.
Songs for a New World is described as a song cycle - neither a musical theatre piece nor a revue - a series of songs all connected by a theme: the moment of decision. Brown describes the moment as 'hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.'
Consisting of just two women and two men, these are monumental roles to cast but Quite Good Theatre company have picked the cream of Southend's crop with Eleanore Frances, Ashton Moore, Reanne Nash and Declan Wright. Right from the opening number, The New World it's pretty obvious that we are going to be in for one helluva of a treat with the company's vocals blending together to form super smooth harmonies. There are many goosebump moments.
Each song provides its own brilliant story and style and gives each cast member the opportunity to show off their incredible vocal skills and ranges. Declan Wright impresses immediately with On the Deck of a Spanish Ship, 1492 and Eleanore Frances shows us how to do to the funny with Just One Step as a married woman teetering on the edge of her New York high rise threatening to her husband that she's going to jump. She has us laughing again with Surabaya-Santa; who knew Mrs Claus had so much angst? Again, brilliantly portrayed and sung. Reanne Nash's beautiful vocals are brought to the fore throughout the evening but stood out in particular with a highly emotive rendition of I'm Not Afraid of Anything. Ashton Moore shows off his musicianship in She Cries where we really feel the pain of a man unable to leave his partner. I could tell you how every song and singer have their reasons to be heard but you really should go and find out for yourself.
Director, Kai Wright has done a great job with movement and nuance as the cast perform and deliver each of their songs. The set has been designed as if you're hanging out in a New York loft apartment. Check out the lampshades. Lighting is moody and there's a definite 'off Broadway' vibe to the whole space - it's almost as if you've been transported, with an atmosphere created where you can virtually breathe in the scent of something special about to take off.
The band, under the supervision of Liam Holmes on keys, is just fabulous, providing an amazing sound. Declan Wright's performance of King of the World is highlighted by the amazing musicianship in this number. Holmes is seemingly in his element and his love for Jason Robert Brown is clearly affirmed here. Also, a shout out to Glenn Oxenbury, who always makes the sound so seamless and clear.
Anyone with a passion for musical theatre should not miss this outstanding production.
Review: Kim Tobin
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD was originally Produced by the WPA Theatre, New York City, 1995 (Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown
Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International
Songs for a New World
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend
10th – 13th August 2022
8pm (Sat Matinee: 2:30pm)
Tickets £20.50 + booking fee (concessions available £18.50)
southendtheatres.org.uk
0343 310 0030
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown
Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International
Songs for a New World
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend
10th – 13th August 2022
8pm (Sat Matinee: 2:30pm)
Tickets £20.50 + booking fee (concessions available £18.50)
southendtheatres.org.uk
0343 310 0030
South-East creatives take on Jason Robert Brown’s smash-hit sensation Songs for a New World this Summer
Starring Declan Wright, Reanne Nash, Ashton Moore and Eleanore Frances, Quite Good Theatre are thrilled to bring Robert Brown’s demanding score to Southend-On-Sea audiences this August
Starring Declan Wright, Reanne Nash, Ashton Moore and Eleanore Frances, Quite Good Theatre are thrilled to bring Robert Brown’s demanding score to Southend-On-Sea audiences this August
Photographs by Hudson Photography UK
This summer, a new world calls across the ocean…
This August, see the cult musical Songs for a New World like you’ve never seen it before. The first musical from Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade, Bridges of Madison County), Songs for a New World is an anthology of short stories told through song that takes audiences on a journey that teeters on the edge of that one little moment that can shape the rest of your life. Featuring smash hits ‘I’m Not Afraid of Anything’ and ‘King of the World’, this production of Songs for a New World creatively reimagines what a musical can be.
This August, see the cult musical Songs for a New World like you’ve never seen it before. The first musical from Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade, Bridges of Madison County), Songs for a New World is an anthology of short stories told through song that takes audiences on a journey that teeters on the edge of that one little moment that can shape the rest of your life. Featuring smash hits ‘I’m Not Afraid of Anything’ and ‘King of the World’, this production of Songs for a New World creatively reimagines what a musical can be.
Musical Director, Liam Holmes, 41, from Southend who is currently resident MD for the Rock of Ages Musical UK Tour, took some time out of rehearsals to chat to us about Jason Robert Brown and why Songs for a New World is the perfect production for Southend's Dixon Studio!
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Jason Robert Brown is a name that will be familiar with anyone involved within musical theatre, but for anyone who’s been lingering on the outside looking in, can you tell us a little bit about him and why his music has so much appeal?
Sure! Jason Robert Brown, or JRB as he's often known, is an American Tony winning composer, lyricist, pianist, and performer. I first heard his music back in 2006 and it grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and has never really let me go since. The first show of his that I heard was The Last Five Years. I put the CD on in the car and then stayed sat in my parked car, long after I'd got to where I was going, just so I could see how this heart-wrenchingly intimate, two-handed show ended. His writing style somehow manages to be both instantly accessible, and yet also deeply moving, complex and profound, which has made his work popular with both performers and audiences. He's an inherently theatrical writer, yet you're just as likely to hear echoes of Billy Joel, Paul Simon or Joni Mitchell in his work as you are Sondheim, Bernstein or Porter. Songs For A New World is an incredibly eclectic piece, featuring nods to gospel and funk, as well as jazz and samba, alongside big Broadway torch ballads, and even a taste of Kurt Weill for good measure. It's his first theatre piece, premiering when he was only 25 years old, and so it contains all the fire and braggadocio of look-at-what-I-can-do youth, making it a tremendous musical challenge for all the performers on stage. |
What drew you, as a company, towards wanting to put on Songs for a New World here in Southend?
Quite Good Theatre are a fledgling company, but an ambitious one. We were keen to make our first foray into producing a full musical realistic yet still with some real substance. The cast of the show is small: there are only four actors, but they work exceptionally hard! The themes lend themselves to intimate storytelling that wouldn't translate in a main house to hundreds of audience members. We knew we needed a smaller studio space that would feel part of the world we're creating. There isn't a more appropriate venue in Essex than the Palace Theatre's Dixon Studio, which just happens to be right here in Southend, and even though it is home for many of us we still would have chosen this gorgeous studio venue regardless.
Tell us a little bit about the production and how it will play out in the Dixon Studio?
Ok, but no spoilers though! The show is sung-through, there is no dialogue. In addition to that, there is not a conventional narrative thread running through it. Instead the songs are linked by themes of decision, turning points, endings, new beginnings. It provides quite a unique challenge for a creative team: how to best stage these different songs, which span centuries and continents, without trying to do it literally? The Dixon Studio is such a flexible space for telling stories, and this show is very much one for story telling. The proximity of the audience really allows the performers to see the whites of the eyes of the audience, which lends a massive immediacy. We also have a fantastic six piece band that are very much a part of our production. In such a music heavy show it seemed somewhat criminal to keep them anonymous!
Quite Good Theatre are a fledgling company, but an ambitious one. We were keen to make our first foray into producing a full musical realistic yet still with some real substance. The cast of the show is small: there are only four actors, but they work exceptionally hard! The themes lend themselves to intimate storytelling that wouldn't translate in a main house to hundreds of audience members. We knew we needed a smaller studio space that would feel part of the world we're creating. There isn't a more appropriate venue in Essex than the Palace Theatre's Dixon Studio, which just happens to be right here in Southend, and even though it is home for many of us we still would have chosen this gorgeous studio venue regardless.
Tell us a little bit about the production and how it will play out in the Dixon Studio?
Ok, but no spoilers though! The show is sung-through, there is no dialogue. In addition to that, there is not a conventional narrative thread running through it. Instead the songs are linked by themes of decision, turning points, endings, new beginnings. It provides quite a unique challenge for a creative team: how to best stage these different songs, which span centuries and continents, without trying to do it literally? The Dixon Studio is such a flexible space for telling stories, and this show is very much one for story telling. The proximity of the audience really allows the performers to see the whites of the eyes of the audience, which lends a massive immediacy. We also have a fantastic six piece band that are very much a part of our production. In such a music heavy show it seemed somewhat criminal to keep them anonymous!
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How difficult was it to find the right cast for this production?
In all honesty, not at all. The whole process probably took less than 30 minutes! Declan (Wright) and Reanne (Nash) were round at my house for a catch up and some lunch, and unsurprisingly we got to playing and singing a bit. We did a couple of songs from the show and we realised straight away how much potential it had. Reanne messaged Eleanore (Frances), while I messaged Ashton (Moore), and they both said yes pretty much immediately. It really is the dream cast of local talent: if anyone had said no we probably wouldn't be doing it. |
Declan in Bonnie & Clyde
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Most of the cast are well known names within the Southend musical theatre scene, can you give us some background on what productions audiences may have seen them in?
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Yes, there are definitely some familiar faces! Reanne has been treading the local boards for some time now. I first witnessed her tearing the roof off The Palace Theatre as Vivienne in Little Theatre Company's production of Legally Blonde in 2016, and then more recently in Leigh Operatic and Dramatic Society's Little Shop Of Horrors as Audrey, in a portrayal that came dangerously close to making me cry! Eleanore also first came to my attention in Legally Blonde, where she barely ever left the stage in the lead role of Elle Woods, which is still one of the finest performances I've ever seen from anyone, anywhere. Outside of that she's the co-founder of Blown Fuse Theatre, and I'd urge anyone who's interested in new and outside-the-box work to see what they're up to.
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Reanne in Little Shop of Horrors
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Ashton Moore in Rent
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Declan is just the definition of raw talent. Once I heard him sing I knew I wanted to do a project with him, and this show just suits his instrument perfectly. He's currently performing with LODS, after previously playing Clyde in Bonnie and Clyde for Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society, and he's playing the title role in Shrek for LODS in October, which I'm looking forward to for the makeup and costume transformation as much as for what will undoubtedly be a great performance.
And what hasn't already been said about Ashton Moore!? He's actually the busiest man I know: founding a stage school, full time teaching gig, freelance teaching, writing the next big hits of 21st century musical theatre, depping in the pit of West End shows, producing his own concerts. I'd hate to put words in his mouth, but I think he's loving the opportunity to come in and perform and not have to worry about the minutiae of the show. I know it's not something he gets to do very often so he's really grabbed this with both hands, and it's a joy to witness him doing his thing. |
And how about you? You were recently Musical Director of the Rock of Ages UK Tour, what kind of career journey did you take to get to being a professional Musical Director?
And I still am! Rock of Ages is on a short summer hiatus, into which I've managed to squeeze this production of Songs For A New World, but we go back out again in August for an autumn tour leg, and then a very busy first half of 2023! It's a great fun show to be involved in, and while we've JUST been to the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend, I'd happily urge you to come see it if it crosses your path.
As for my path, I've always wanted to play music for a living: it's the only thing I'm good at, there has never been a Plan B! I took a fairly academic path through school, sixth form, leading to getting a Bachelor of Music degree more years ago than I care to think about, although fun fact, my instrumental training is almost entirely as a drummer/percussionist. I always played piano alongside that though, and at some point that side of me took over the drumming thing and here we are. My story is quite familiar to most freelancers though - lots of graft, lots of "fake it till you make it", and a dangerous amount of saying yes to everything and then figuring out how to do it later. I've been lucky enough that I've been in the same rooms as some super talented people who have given me the opportunities to do new things, and fingers crossed, long may it continue.
And I still am! Rock of Ages is on a short summer hiatus, into which I've managed to squeeze this production of Songs For A New World, but we go back out again in August for an autumn tour leg, and then a very busy first half of 2023! It's a great fun show to be involved in, and while we've JUST been to the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend, I'd happily urge you to come see it if it crosses your path.
As for my path, I've always wanted to play music for a living: it's the only thing I'm good at, there has never been a Plan B! I took a fairly academic path through school, sixth form, leading to getting a Bachelor of Music degree more years ago than I care to think about, although fun fact, my instrumental training is almost entirely as a drummer/percussionist. I always played piano alongside that though, and at some point that side of me took over the drumming thing and here we are. My story is quite familiar to most freelancers though - lots of graft, lots of "fake it till you make it", and a dangerous amount of saying yes to everything and then figuring out how to do it later. I've been lucky enough that I've been in the same rooms as some super talented people who have given me the opportunities to do new things, and fingers crossed, long may it continue.
Liam, on keys
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What have been the highlights of your career so far?
Ooh, good one. I'm going to try and avoid turning this into a prose version of my CV! I've been lucky enough to play some amazing venues, from small cabaret clubs to big old green fields, all over the world. I've also rubbed shoulders and shared stages with people who, at least I think, are pretty cool. To be honest though, regardless of the "stature" of the gig, any show where that energy feedback loop between the stage and the audience feels genuinely palpable is always pretty special. And on a purely personal note, getting the opportunity to conduct an 80 piece orchestra at St David's Hall in Cardiff, the same room I'd graduated in ten years previously, was definitely a nice little tick. The back of my head is on YouTube and everything! Who are your musical influences? How long have you got?! From a playing point of view, regardless of the fact that I'm plugging Songs For A New World, Jason Robert Brown is genuinely right up there. Other players - Billy Joel, Jordan Rudess, Jon Lord, Rick Wakeman, Roy Bittan, Cory Henry, Oscar Peterson. All of those guys can play rings around me, but they give me something to aspire to, that's for sure. More generally, I love great music that tells great stories, which is obviously why musical theatre will always be a passion of mine. Outside of that, anything Jim Steinman did, but especially his work with Meatloaf, Queen, Billy Joel (again!), Eagles, Sting - they're always in rotation on my playlists. Then bits of jazz, country, classical, heavy metal, progressive rock. Putting ALL of my music onto random shuffle is never anything less than a fairly extreme genre-hopping adventure! |
Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions for the future?
Well I'd like people to tell me that Songs For A New World was great, nudge, nudge! Beyond that, I'd love the opportunity to MD or play on a West End show of course, that one is a no-brainer for me. I've been lucky to always be getting involved with a new thing, which is a challenge, yet always a thrill. It helps to keep things fresh, so I'd like to keep doing new things, which means I'm not quite sure what that looks like till it happens. I also want to be able to give people the same chances that I was given when I was starting out. You take chances every time you hire someone new, someone did that for me more than once, and it's rewarding to afford others the same shot. Sometimes they grab it, sometimes they realise it's not for them, but at least they had the opportunity to figure that out. And I'm putting it down on paper, cos maybe that means it's more likely to happen, but perhaps one day I'll break ground on writing the musical that Ashton seems to think I have in me?!
Well I'd like people to tell me that Songs For A New World was great, nudge, nudge! Beyond that, I'd love the opportunity to MD or play on a West End show of course, that one is a no-brainer for me. I've been lucky to always be getting involved with a new thing, which is a challenge, yet always a thrill. It helps to keep things fresh, so I'd like to keep doing new things, which means I'm not quite sure what that looks like till it happens. I also want to be able to give people the same chances that I was given when I was starting out. You take chances every time you hire someone new, someone did that for me more than once, and it's rewarding to afford others the same shot. Sometimes they grab it, sometimes they realise it's not for them, but at least they had the opportunity to figure that out. And I'm putting it down on paper, cos maybe that means it's more likely to happen, but perhaps one day I'll break ground on writing the musical that Ashton seems to think I have in me?!
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Director, Kai Wright:
"I'm really excited to be making my professional directorial debut with this musical theatre fan favourite, Jason Robert Brown's "Songs for a New World" in my home county of Essex. The themes of life, love and inner turmoil continue to resonate 26 years after its original off Broadway outing, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to explore this collection of stories within the context of the 2020s" The production, complete with full orchestra, will be Directed by Kai Wright with Musical Direction by Liam Holmes, Production Design by Sophie Goodman, Production Management by Jason Fenn, and is Produced by Kai Wright, Liam Holmes and Eleanore Frances for Quite Good Theatre.
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SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD was originally Produced by the WPA Theatre, New York City, 1995 (Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown
Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International
Songs for a New World
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend
10th – 13th August 2022
8pm (Sat Matinee: 2:30pm)
Tickets £20.50 + booking fee (concessions available £18.50)
southendtheatres.org.uk
0343 310 0030
Original Orchestration by Brian Besterman and Jason Robert Brown
Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International
Songs for a New World
Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend
10th – 13th August 2022
8pm (Sat Matinee: 2:30pm)
Tickets £20.50 + booking fee (concessions available £18.50)
southendtheatres.org.uk
0343 310 0030