Review: AFTER YOU, Live at Zedel

After You is the first musical to be performed at the Crazy Coqs cabaret space, now known as Live at Zedel, deep under Piccadilly Circus at Brasserie Zedel in London's West End. Childhood friends and musical collaborators Katie Lam and Alex Parker were commissioned to create a musical specifically for the venue and the result is a time-honoured story of strangers meeting and an irresistible connection being sparked.

In this modern love story, cabaret singer Chris meets corporate lawyer Sarah at a performance at the club. Seemingly incompatible, with very different lives, they continue to meet and life, inevitably, becomes much more complicated.

Liam Doyle, last seen as Sam in the Asian tour of Ghost The Musical, plays performer Chris. Despite sporting a sling due to a broken collarbone, he has an easy charm and comfortable stage presence. Getting a woman up from the audience to dance verges on naff, but is convincing behaviour for the smooth-tongued crooner. His voice is pleasant, but unmemorable.

Sarah is played by Laura Tebbutt. As she vocalises her thoughts, her lower range is a gravelly and comes across a little awkwardly. After warming up, she has moments of real power and control, particularly as she wrestles with her increasing feelings for Chris.

The couple are supported by the excellent Issac and The Crazy Coqs band, consisting of piano, acoustic guitar, violin and cello. The strings in particular often add a beautiful depth and resonance to the musical accompaniment.

The musical numbers themselves are hit and miss. Chris's opening and closing love song to London has a rather flat melody and banal and obvious lyrics. In fact, it is Katie Lam's words that miss the mark more than Alex Parker's composition. Love song "Touch Me" is distinctly cheesy lyrically, but features some lovely harmonies by the couple. Power ballad duet "A World There To Discover" is the best song in the show, showcasing strength from both performers and a wonderfully melodic tempo.

Some of the most enjoyable aspects are not actually the musical sections; Doyle and Tebbutt have great chemistry and the friendly banter as they get to know each other is both realistic and often very funny. The acting from both performers is strongest at these points. However, there is a lack of sexual chemistry, which undermines the premise of the story. They seem much more like best mates than desperate to rip each other's clothes off.

In such a compact venue, director Alistair Knights uses every bit of space he can; the stage, a table in the audience and the bar. The audience are both the real audience and the audience within the show. It makes for an entertaining evening and a very intimate experience. The hour-long performance flows along very smoothly, avoids sickly melodrama and is a promising start for musicals at Zedel.

Read Katie Lam's guest blog

Photo Credit: Adam Bajou

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