Review: GO! THE MUSICAL, Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre

Moses then? For me (and I suspect many others) one’s mind fills with vague memories from RE (as it was then) at school, Charlton Heston sprawling across the BBC1 schedule on the Easter weekend and even a bit of this one-hit wonder banger from back in the day. Is that a problem? Well, it’s a lot more than I knew about The Book of Mormon and Alexander Hamilton, and it didn’t do those shows any harm.

This new musical, staged in the slightly awkward space Upstairs at the Gatehouse, leans more into the style of the latter than the former, with Adam Taylor’s poppy tunes and fizzing rhymes replete with contemporary vernacular and catchphrases nodding towards Lin Manuel Miranda’s reinvention of the musical genre. But, and it’s a familiar lament with a new show, even with Mikhal Taylor’s support on the writing, it’s just too convoluted a book and too tricksy a structure to support the songs and carry the narrative.

There are 26 different numbers listed in a 90 minutes running time. While that means that there’s little chance of a tune outstaying its welcome, few are given much chance to breathe, particularly with many boasting an admirable density of lyrics. It doesn’t help that the very shallow thrust stage means that actors are often facing away from you when sing - not ideal.

That said, much of the singing is good. Alexandra Doar displays crystal clear vocals as the ruthless (really, really ruthless) Pharaoh, who first takes the baby Moses as her own and then revisits the now rebellious king of the Israelites after death in search of revenge for her rejection. Her work represents the high point of the show. 

Harel Glazer is at his best delivering his existential angst anthem, “Who Am I?” but he needs to be given more to work with to reflect the charisma Moses draws upon in leading his people. You can easily see why a thirst for freedom would take people away from the rule of the Egyptian queen, it’s just hard to see why he would be their chosen leader for all his royal trappings after a palace childhood.  

Ayesha Patel does what she can with the part of Zipporah, the narrator, as scenes jump backwards and forwards in the timeline, but, as ever, if such devices are needed, it tends to point to a flaw in the writing. Rushand Chambers’ luscious vocals are underused as the challenger to Moses, Korach, while the ensemble get some very welcome lighter moments kowtowing to their leaders.

Presented as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, one cannot expect much in the way of sets and costumes (more variation of which would have helped director, Nick Bond, tease out the narrative threads) but the three-piece band under Ben Barrow are good and there’s some strong lighting work from Daniel Taylor.

Perhaps the main missing element - or the element that jars most - is the absence of any romantic subplot beyond an awkward relationship between Moses and Pharoah, not helped by the fact that the boy looks older than his adopted mother. A little of that staple element of Musical Theatre would have alleviated  stretches when there was a bit of a lecture theatre atmosphere underpinned by a didactic tone.

For all that, everyone knows that new musicals are hard to get right and, even after 13 years gestation, there may be more work to be done before this show reaches its potential. But maybe not 40 years worth - that’s too long for anyone to spend in the wilderness.      

Go! The Musical is at Upstairs at the Gatehouse Theatre until 28 July

Photo images: Lidia Crisafulli

To post a comment, you must register and login.