Then, Now & Next at Southwark Playhouse Borough – review

This new musical from Christopher J Orton and Jon Robyns, first conceived when they were acting together in Monty Python’s Spamalot, is a promising debut that brims with both humour and heart.

A chamber piece in the vein of Jonathan Larson or Jason Robert Brown, it centres on the relationship of Alex (Alice Fearn) with two men, one her current partner and father of her child, the other her late boyfriend, who she still considers the love of her life.

Skilfully directed by Julie Atherton, Alex’s story unfolds in scenes that jump around chronologically and builds to a stirring finale as she comes to terms with her grief. Anyone who’s suffered loss of any sort will relate to how difficult she finds it to move on from the idea of what might have been.

Fearn, recently seen in Come From Away, gives an empathetic and moving portrayal of Alice, even if the character is overly defined by the men in her life (her main personality trait seems to be a fondness for reading). Peter Hannah and Joaquin Pedro Valdes meanwhile play Peter and Stephen, the men who represent her ‘Then’ and ‘Now’, and successfully capture the contrast – Stephen is a cool American with charm to boot, Peter a film nerd who describes himself as “reliable and safe”.

The cast is completed by Justin Brett and Tori Allen-Martin in a range of scene-stealing cameos. Standouts include Allen-Martin’s loudmouth date Tara (who suffered a hilarious wardrobe malfunction on press night), and Brett’s wry French restaurateur; he also lends real tenderness to a climactic scene at Stephen’s graveside.

Atherton’s production is well-paced and dynamic, played out on a thrust arrangement backdropped by designer Bob Sterrett’s whitewashed backwall adorned with familiar domestic items. The excellent four-piece band sits above it on a platform, and though a few lyrics get lost, the acoustics are generally strong in The Large space at Southwark Playhouse Borough.

The story raises a few nagging questions; for instance, why does Peter’s longstanding campaign to persuade Alice to marry him take on such significance when they already have a child together? This is surely a bigger show of her commitment. It also at times feels an overly twee and somewhat dated portrayal of contemporary relationships; both men are so perfect they become anodyne.

But the same accusation cannot be levelled at the music, which is lushly orchestrated and arranged by Ben Goddard-Young. Orton and Robyns show some serious compositional chops and this feels like the start of a promising partnership. With a little more grit in the narrative oyster, this could be something very special. I look forward to seeing what comes next.