King’s Head Theatre – until 25 May 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
3***
David O’Brien’s new musical needs developing but has potential to be an exciting show.
With just four characters, this chamber musical, directed by Jack Storm, tells the story of photographer Max (Matteo Giambiasi) and his manipulation of those around him to create the perfect picture on film and in his life. After meeting with ex-girlfriend Angela (Hayley Maybury) at a reunion, Max turns away from using leggy models to persuading Angela’s current partner, Tom (Will Usherwood-Bliss) to lead the campaign for an exciting new product. Max’s assistant and partner, Sheila (Justine Maire Mead) is confused and pleased at this apparent change in Max’s outlook but is unaware that Max has planned this scenario to manipulate everyone and bed Angela once more.
This could be a sharp commentary and satire about deception and coercion, but in this form, running at 70minutes, there is no time for any character development with unsubtle and clunky dialogue. Despite musical director’ Debbi Clarke’s best efforts, the score is unmemorable. Maybury and Mead delight in their bitchy duet as they discover Max’s manipulations, but most of the multicharacter songs are jumbled resulting in incoherent lyrics, and the melodramatic staging with every actor facing different directions during these numbers feels very stilted.
The cast do a fine job with what they’re given, with the fantastic Justine Maire Mead providing the beating heart of the show as the only character that actually makes you feel anything. None of the characters feel rounded, but Hayley Maybury is wonderfully uptight as Angela and Will Usherwood-Bliss is great fun as the constantly befuddled Tom. Max is the villain of the story, but Matteo Giambiasi is more panto villain than psychological manipulator as this script is drawn in such broad strokes.
There are positives – the theme is interesting and universal, and with some tinkering to the score and a more polished book and fully-rounded characters (and probably a longer running time) there could be a bright future for this show.