The Story of My Life review

Many new musicals fly under the radar. Often they’re not cookie-cutter Broadway shows, with big bands and a high-kicking chorus. Instead, they are more likely to be intimate or experimental pieces, such as Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, Andrew Lippa’s John & Jen or even the great Stephen Sondheim’s Marry Me a Little, which was last revived earlier this year at this venue, directed by Robert McWhir. This 2006 musical is just such a show. With music and lyrics from composer Neil Bartram and a book by Brian Hill, it receives its UK premiere here, again directed by McWhir.

Faced with the unenviable task of writing the eulogy for his childhood friend Alvin Kelby (Tim Edwards), acclaimed author Thomas Weaver (Markus Sodergren) is haunted by the question of how and why they lost touch several years previously. As he tries to recall their final exchange, Alvin appears and suggests that they travel back further to explore how they first met, shortly after Alvin’s mother died. Together they relive episodes of their childhood and how they gradually grow apart when Thomas leaves their small town to develop his writing career.

From this low-concept story, Bartram and Hill create a thing of beauty, drawing heavily on the butterfly effect and how a person may not realise the influence that they have on others. It’s no surprise perhaps that Thomas and Alvin’s favourite movie is It’s a Wonderful Life, but Hill’s poignant narrative jumps back and forth, as Thomas tries to unravel how things fell apart. Bartram, who is probably best known for scoring the stage version of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, has created an urgent, romantic score that captures every nuance of the story, complemented by intelligent and insightful lyrics.

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