Southwark Playhouse Borough – until 22nd August 2026
Reviewed by Phil Brown
4****
Subtitled The Unheard Songs of Jonathan Larson, The Jonathan Larson Project is a bright idea originally conceived by acclaimed (US) theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper, brought to the Southwark Playhouse stage by Thomas Hopkins, SAMS Entertainment and Julie Larson (producers), and John Simpkins (director). And beautifully performed by an ensemble of 5 wonderful singers and a first rate live band, underlining the extraordinary quality of performing talent, in depth, we are lucky to have in the UK.
It’s a musical, but with a difference, comprising a sequence of Larson songs from early in his career as a struggling composer. It gathers together songs that never found a home in his completed shows, standalone works, some from discarded/unrealised projects, some never performed. There is no specific, governing narrative thread, although it flows naturally enough and seems to work as prescient commentary on modern life and universal themes.
As an American composer, lyricist and playwright, but maybe not quite in the very vanguard of the profession, Jonathan Larson may not be widely known to UK audiences I first became aware of him through the film Tick, Tick….Boom back in 2022. (A film about his musical called Superbia that didn’t make it to production. Some of which material is performed here). Larson eventually had a hit project a few years later with Rent which ran from 1996 to 2008 and earned him a posthumous Pulitzer. Tragically, he died of an aortic dissection in 1996 just before the show launched, leaving the distinct feeling of loss of a major talent not fully realised. So this show is something of a revival and a timely reminder of what could have been.
What of the raw material – the songs ? There are 18 in this song cycle – several “standalone theatre” and “cabaret” songs, a couple described as “pop songs”, a “revue” song and the rest from various musicals. There is certainly some very memorable, high class material, but overall, I would have to rate it at 3 star level. The songs are lyrically clever and the music rich with delicious phrases and hooks, yet the end result sometimes feels overcomplicated and unlikely to pass the old grey whistle test with flying colours.
Congratulations, then, to Mike Mather, Marcus Collins, Imelda Warren-Green, Natalie Kassanga and Max Harwood whose infectious commitment, fine singing and precise harmonising performances are hugely enjoyable and elevate the show to 4 stars. I particularly like ‘Greene Street’, ‘One of These Days’, ’Valentine’s Day’, ‘Falling Apart’, ‘Iron Mike’, ‘White Male World’, ‘The Truth is a Lie’, ‘SOS’, ’Pura Vida’, ‘Love Heals’ and ‘Piano’. There are a couple of show stoppers in ‘Break Out the Booze’ and the hilarious ‘Hosing the Furniture’ (which won Larson the Sondheim Award). One song though – ‘Vision Thing’ – is a lengthy musical rant on the subject of US politics and seems to suck a bit of momentum from an otherwise well-paced show.
Shout-outs too to the excellent 5 piece band seemingly shoehorned into a couple of tiny gantries above the action with the drums confined to an airless cubicle beside the tiered seating. In particular, Livi van Warmelo (musical director) stands out on electric keyboards.
The set is rough and ready simple. A crude projection screen hoisted between the band gantries is used for archival footage at the introduction and occasionally throughout the show. (Sadly, not visible from where I was positioned). Furnished with step ladders, a piano and table and chairs, it effectively conveys a workshop or artist’s studio (designers – Nate Bertone, Sophie Williams). The non-trivial “choreography” required to manage the set, props, and change of costumery for the different songs as well as ensuring suitable variation in singer’s positioning throughout the performance in the context of “in the round” was particularly impressive – natural and unobtrusive (movement director – Taylor Walker).
The show runs for 90 minutes (no interval) and such an immersive experience in the round of Southwark Playhouse’s intimate The Large (space), is genuinely transporting. Larson’s work is without a doubt worth experiencing/exploring and there can be few better ways of doing that currently than getting to this full fat celebration of his music by exceptionally talented musicians. It is remarkable how fresh it sounds thirty plus years after it was written…