Review: SUPERYOU THE MUSICAL in Concert, Lyric Theatre
Photo credit: Matt Marlin and Simona Sermont for Shooting Theatre
A vacant West End Theatre is a rare but currently wonderful thing. The early closure of Aspects of Love has created a unique opportunity for a number of newer shows to make their West End debuts at the Lyric Theatre. Last night was the turn of SuperYou, a new musical blasting onto the theatre scene.
Written and composed by Lourds Lane, SuperYou tells the story of comic book artist, Katie White. As she battles through the hardships life throws at her, she reconnects with her dreams when the comic book heroines she draws come to life. This powerful and uplifting show follows Katie’s journey as she finds self-love and rediscovers the power of her voice.
Directed and choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter, unlike many recent concert productions, SuperYou is definitely more of a staged presentation. The performers are behind music stands and the stage directions are read out on stage. There is a screen which displays stock location images to set the scene paired with some charming sketches of the comic book heroes we see on stage. There is also some limited but excellent choreography, performed brilliantly by Will Bozier and Aaliyah Monk as Mi-Roar and Young Katie respectively.
SuperYou is billed as a rock musical but it has songs from a plethora of genres. The music ranges from heart-wrenching ballads to punk-rock and country. The genres clash at times but they all have one thing in common, they are led by a collection of powerhouse female vocals. The talented cast, led by Lucie Jones, all have incredible voices and pour their hearts into this incredibly emotional show. Each character gets the chance to shine which mirrors the show’s message of inclusion. Unfortunately, at times, the mixing levels were uneven and some of the inspiring lyrics were lost, but the show’s message was central throughout.
We need more shows that have such an uplifting message of love and acceptance but for SuperYou to harness its full power, it needs greater cohesion. The show is clearly aimed at a young audience but the simple heartwarming message feels a little confusing as it whizzes through so many events and musical genres.
SuperYou is sure to inspire womxn of any age and background, and its focus on inclusion is its key strength. This is the kind of show that needs a full-scale production as one can only imagine how spectacular it could look with epic superhero costumes, and colourful visuals to distinguish between the real world and comic world, and fully cement it in the theatre world.
SuperYou is still a work in progress but it certainly has all the right ingredients to become a super show!
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck