Perfect Pitch

So last week I sat through all 6 Perfect Pitch new musicals in around 26 hours. Though I did find myself a little confused as to what show I was watching and how many more I had to go at a couple of points, on the whole I was very impressed. My thoughts are in the order I saw the shows and nothing else...

Lift
From the concepts I'd read prior to seeing the shows, Lift was the one I was most intrigued by. I was a bit disappointed, therefore, to find the score so much stronger than the book. I think it's got a lot of potential but don't think it is quite there yet. Fabulously cast though - a very tight knit ensemble. And the 'Lost In Translation' song is a real stand out moment.

The Diary of Me
I knew a little about the show beforehand, but not much. Again, another with a stronger score than book. I think it has limited appeal because whilst it is very poignant for its target audience, that audience is quite small in my opinion. That said, I can see it having life through drama groups, NYMT, schools etc.

Can You Keep A Secret?
Probably the one I was looking forward to the least because I wasn't a fan (to say the least) of Only The Brave in Edinburgh. I was pleasantly surprised. I think the character development was the strongest of the 6 shows (especially impressive given the 45 minute time slot) and I actually really liked the music. I did find myself a bit irked by the 'magical' part of the story line though and was much happier watching the parts in 'real' life. I wonder how it could work in a full scale production. I would actually want to see a full scale production of this though, which is much more than I could say for Only The Brave!

The Lost Christmas
Beautifully festive and magical, it does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a show that I'd oh-so-selflessly offer to take every under-12 year old I know to see it and actually probably enjoy it myself even more than they would. Funny, touching, great music and fabulously Christmassy - loved it.

Rebels and Retail
This is the one I really can't decide about. Of the 6, I knew least about it beforehand and had the smallest number of preconceptions and expectations. It was bizarre, but in a strangely good way. A bit of Jerry Springer, a bit of BatBoy, a bit of Sweeney Todd.. I'm not sure how much identity it had of its own. That said, it was very very funny. In reality I don't think it was as strong as the other 5 shows, but I am completely intrigued as to what the writers will do next given how scarily young they both are!

Through The Door
I knew bits of the music from Through The Door but not much of the story. My biggest issue is of how accepting they were of suddenly finding themselves in 18th century France out of nowhere.. that jarred a little with me and I'd like to think that could be addressed in a bigger production. Musically great - it's 3 days on and I can't stop singing 'Lenny We're Smiling'. I think it has the most identity of all the shows and it's the one that seems most ready to go on to bigger and better things. We shall see...