Madonna has been a part of my cultural life for knocking on 40 years so I approached the thought of a jukebox musical based mostly on her songs feeling barely grumpy and really previous. I needn’t have anxious although. The clumsily titled Live to Tell: (A Proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical is many issues, however it’s fairly undoubtedly not that form of biggest hits nostalgia-fest. In reality, it’s much less crowd-pleasing West End fare and extra Off-Broadway Greenwich Village Art School Project, which is okay when you like Off-Broadway Greenwich Village Art School Projects. I occur to have a gentle spot for them.…
Rating
Good
Madonna’s songs solely function fleetingly on this messy angst-ridden story of residing with HIV, however that does not cease it from in the end packing a powerful punch.
Madonna has been a part of my cultural life for knocking on 40 years so I approached the thought of a jukebox musical based mostly on her songs feeling barely grumpy and really previous. I needn’t have anxious although. The clumsily titled Live to Tell: (A Proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical is many issues, however it’s fairly undoubtedly not that form of biggest hits nostalgia-fest. In reality, it’s much less crowd-pleasing West End fare and extra Off-Broadway Greenwich Village Art School Project, which is okay when you like Off-Broadway Greenwich Village Art School Projects. I occur to have a gentle spot for them.
Brian (autobiographically performed by writer-performer Brian Mullin) is our hero. He begins by pitching a imprecise jukebox musical concept to Madonna, initially by way of his agent (Dan de la Motte, who valiantly takes on each different character within the story past Nadya Ginsburg’s recorded voice). At least Brian would pitch if he wasn’t struggling together with his psychological well being. He is struggling together with his psychological well being as a result of he’s having an existential, and probably bodily, disaster round his HIV standing. Not with the ability to pitch makes him really feel worse. His disaster deepens and the entire shebang turns into cyclical. If that sounds convoluted, it’s as a result of it’s. How a lot of the present’s self-referential angst it is possible for you to to deal with will rely in your tastes, however by Christ, there’s numerous it.
There isn’t, mockingly, numerous Madonna’s music. Only ‘Cherish’ will get an actual outing. Others are heard in snatches or just referenced with a line or two of dialogue. Neither of the 2 performers has musical theatre chops; it’s actually karaoke at one level and the choreography is finest described as enthusiastic. This is a small private and intimate story although, so anticipating triple risk polish misses the purpose. If you purchase into Brian’s worldview, lean into his issues and luxuriate in his redemption, you’ll discover loads to take pleasure in right here. If you don’t, its self-conscious bare-all intensely theatrical model might really feel a bit chilly.
Whichever camp you’re in, you possibly can’t ignore the piece’s extremely private, impassioned stance on residing with HIV. The medication protecting Brian, and so many others, alive are in fact price celebrating however they don’t imply every little thing is rosy. The dense textual content is plagued by references to viral masses and antibodies. Sometimes we really feel like we’re within the classroom, typically we’re a part of New York nightlife and typically we’re even in Brian’s physique. We’re consistently reminded of a battle between good and unhealthy cells, of well being and illness and of perceived guilt and innocence. It’s all very chaotic however then, I believe, HIV+ life may be too.
Mullin is an extremely likeable stage performer. Even when he’s striding across the stage ranting semi-coherently (which he in all probability does just a few occasions too usually), we’re on his aspect. In the quieter moments that allow him act, he delivers poetic stretches of textual content with welcome precision. His comedian timing is matched by his co-star in a genuinely humorous patient-doctor dynamic early within the night too. De la Motte slips on a slight Hugh Grant air alongside together with his white coat. Most efficiently although, he inhabits a shirtless cocky street-wise hook-up who repeatedly encourages Brian to relax out.
Sitting within the viewers, I believe I’d have appreciated Brian to relax out a bit too. This is little doubt a complicated, mashed-up, meta, in-your-face piece of theatre however additionally it is informed straight from the guts. It stakes its declare and stands its floor in a method I believe Madonna, at her most strident, would approve of.
Written by: Brian Mullin
Directed by: Deidre McLaughlin
Projection & Sound Design by: Josh Anio Grigg
Lighting Design by: Alex Thomas
Produced by: Steph J Weller for Playwell Productions
Live to Tell: (A Proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical performs at Omnibus Theatre till 18 February 2023. Further info and bookings may be discovered right here.