Review: PUNCHY! THE MUSICAL, Courtyard Theatre

George 'Punchy' Armstrong (Robert Hook) has problems. His life in post-war East End London is going nowhere. Somewhat inexplicably, he has no job, a girlfriend who has been claimed by the local hardman and a father who has thrown him out. Not unsurprisingly, his self-esteem is subterranean.

But (again, somewhat inexplicably) he does have a girl who carries a torch for him - Edie, the daughter of the pub landlady, Olive. He also has a couple of spirits who follow him round with advice, some welcome, some not - the impulsive Ego (the hyper-energetic James Sygrove) and the more considered Soul (a dudeish Peter Parker Mensah). And there are songs too.

It's a set up that has echoes of Lionel Bart's Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be, Dennis Potter's Lipstick On Your Collar and even Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life, but writer, Kevin McMahon had other ideas. Leaning heavily on its inspiration, lifestyle guru Richard Barrett's book, What My Soul Told Me, the dramatic potential in the characters takes a distant second place to great slabs of didactic speeches outlining Barrett's philosophy, as Punchy pulls himself up by the bootlaces. Not only do these passages slow the pace to the glacial, they reduce the characters to mouthpieces - no real people speak like that.

Director, Tiffany King, makes some strange choices. Rickety doors are constantly being wheeled around the stage, not only obscuring the band from our sight far too frequently, but also distracting our attention with their clattering and shaking. She also asks her entire cast to dance on two or three occasions - it would be kindest to say that some can and some can't.

What saves the show - and this is gig theatre to be fair - is the tremendous music. Jack Terroni can certainly write and arrange a song and, supported by a fantastic on-stage band, The Arnos Groove (no, really) and some pre-recorded material (disappointing that to be honest), we enjoy some power ballads, swing and jazz inflected melodies and the welcome lift the band provide after another five minutes or so of speechifying.

The best of the set is Edi's 'I Want' number (beautifully sung by Lucy Penrose) 'Honest Lover' and the second half opener, 'Wild Horse' is another highlight, but you can dip into the score anywhere and find a song that says so much more than the script.

Reading the programme, it appears that Jack Terroni has founded Peasant Man Productions to create shows that promote healing through the evolution of human consciousness - a laudable aim even if it takes us deep into the discourse of self-help manuals - not everybody's cup of tea. If Musical Theatre is to be one of the genres in which the company work, they need to work much harder on the second element of that phrase - the first element is surely in hand.

Punchy! The Musical is at the Courtyard Theatre until 21 November

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