Review: IN DREAMS, Leeds Playhouse

In Dreams is a new musical premiering at Leeds Playhouse ahead of a Toronto run. With book by David West Read and directed by Luke Sheppard, In Dreams features the songs of Roy Orbison.

Kenna (Lena Hall) was the lead singer of a band called Heartbreak Radio who last had a hit fifteen years ago. The other band members Donovan (Noel Sullivan) and Jane (Sian Reese-Williams) married and settled down with five children while Ramsay (Oliver Tompsett) drives for Uber. Ramsay is also Kenna’s ex-partner and she hasn't seen any of them in years since the band went their separate ways.

Kenna approaches a small family-run Mexican restaurant that hosts all sorts of celebrations and events. Kenna decides that she wants to see her friends again for a going away party and this is the perfect place to do it. It’s not quite as simple as that but this is an unusual story and I don't want to spoil her unique motivations behind this.

Actress Gabriela Garcia plays Nicole but is also billed in the programme as the cultural coordinator. This is a wonderful inclusion in the show which keeps the Mexican elements authentic and avoids stereotypes. Her partner Oscar (Manuel Pacific) is another excellent addition, he's a man struggling with the pressures of raising a family while grieving the loss of his parents. 

In Dreams is funny and sweet without becoming sickly or predictable. It is at heart, a love story but not just a romantic one. Kenna has no blood family to speak of but her bandmates are undoubtedly her kin. This is a show all about human connection. It doesn’t fall into the tropes of needing a partner to “save” you. Kenna is an extremely well-fleshed-out complex character which is so refreshing to see in a musical.

While the book and music are excellent, it’s an exceptional cast that is the true jewel in this crown. It’s not exactly a secret that I adore Lena Hall and I can’t imagine a more perfect casting for Kenna; this loving and sensitive badass character with absolutely killer rock vocals. Oliver Tompsett is incredibly charming as English “plonker” with a heart of gold who has grown up from the young man Kenna knew all those years ago. Leon Craig provides light relief and a lot of heart as Tom, the restaurant's chef/Heartbreak Radio superfan.

Jukebox musicals have had a bad reputation recently but the style of In Dreams breaks out of the traditional format. The songs are well known (“Pretty Woman”; “I Drove All Night” and “Crying” to name but a few) but this is not a show designed for audience singalong. Rather than shoehorning the script around the songs, the format of having the main characters as a band who are performing leaves everything up to the talented cast onstage.

The Leeds Playhouse/Manchester Home co-pro of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was my favourite show of 2022 and once again Leeds Playhouse have knocked it out of the park. I would love to see In Dreams have further life in the UK as this is a truly beautiful musical.

In Dreams is at the Leeds Playhouse until 5 August

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

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