After the Turn

Synopsis

At seventeen, Michael Brookman was the exceptionally talented lead singer of Lost Boy, a band on the brink of stardom, when his mother, (Amanda) was killed in a hit and run accident. Having been brought up solely by the extremely protective Amanda, his devastation at her loss was made even worse by his deep sense of guilt; the last time he saw her they had?had a huge row about his then girlfriend, Lauren. Fast forward three years. Michael hasn't uttered a word since Amanda's death. He locked his teenage self into a far corner of his mind and only allows him to speak inside his head. He has pushed away all of his friends, including Lauren, who has ended up in a relationship with another member of the band, who once was Michael's best friend, Wolf. His uncle who is notionally responsible for him is at his wits end. Something has to be done. Michael's uncle calls on Lauren to try and bring him back out of himself. Wolf encourages this as, working for a major record label, he has designs on signing a big money deal with Michael. Lauren reluctantly agrees. Through the story, Michael's past is gradually revealed and his time spent with Lauren slowly reawakens buried emotion, in both of them.?

Our Review:

Andrew Girvan - 7 February 2012

It will come as no surprise to those who have encountered Tim Prottey-Jones' music - perhaps through his two albums voiced by the great and the good of the West End - that the strength of new rock musical After the Turn is its score. Prottey-Jones' songs are well written, with ambitious, rocky melodies and good use of lyrics.

The rest of Sarah Henley's production, however, is more of a mixed bag. Revolving around Michael (Liam Doyle), a young musician who has been traumatised into three years of silence by the death of his mother, are a cast of underwritten characters who occasionally slip towards caricature.

There are nice touches to the way that Michael's mutism is dealt with on stage, Stephen Rolley as Michael's younger self mirrors his actions and acts as his voice, but there is an inevitability to Doyle's own eventual number. His voice makes it worth the wait.

On the vocal front Steven Webb and Ashleigh Gray's performances as Michae...

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