The Story of my Life finds Thomas trying to write a eulogy for his best friend... great friend... oldest friend Alvin. As he tries to put pen to paper, Alvin's spirit comes to him and time jumps back and forth as the pair relive their youth, friendship, and fall-out.
The musical itself, written by Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, is quite charming. Bartram's score is fun and flows beautifully, though it lacks especially memorable songs. Rather, it is Hill's book that serves the most striking moments of the piece - guiding us through Alvin's heartbreaking story and Thomas' unsettlingly cold choices.
Though generally the performance is fun and engaging, it somehow feels a little too long and yet not enough time to get to the heart of the deep and fraught relationship that underpins our tale. The character of Thomas in particular needs time to sit in his behaviour, to grapple with his love and frustration, but everything comes at us all too quickly. A challenging role, it must be recognised that Markus Sodergren delivers wonderfully powerful vocals, coming into his own more as Thomas grows up, but there seems to be some depth and general sense of character missing - whether this note lies with casting, writing, or directing is unclear.
Tim Edwards blows us away with his performance as Alvin. Worthy of paragraphs of praise, he beautifully captures the character's innocence and quiet desperation through all his life stages. Edwards has expert command of the score and script, finding perfect comic and tragic timing throughout, and never overplaying his hand as he delivers an impressive performance worthy of the ticket price alone!
Robert McWhir does not confine his players to the tiny (beautifully dressed by David Shields) stage, instead embracing the intimacy of the novel bar environment at The Stage Door and bringing the story into the audience. Shield's "blank page" of a set is lovely, though perhaps a show about life's stories being captured in books could have a few more of said books piled high on the shelves. The set works wonderfully with Richard Lambert's brilliant lighting - not only does Lambert manage to create complex and subtle mood throughout, but he also brings the set to life with colour, a gorgeous touch.
An interesting evening of theatre at a lovely new playing space, The Story of my Life runs at the Stage Door until 19th October.
Review: Penny Lane Photo: Peter Davies