Welcome to Serene

Photo by Aaron Weight

Guest review by Aaron Weight from www.aaronsays.co.uk

I remarked to a few of my friends when I told them I was coming to see this show that I had no idea what to expect, other than a “sort of Dr Seuss and Tim Burton” type feel. Usually British Youth Music Theatre are really good at making a splash with their shows and being quite clear what they are about - I now understand why there was a bit more subtlety with this one, despite it being part of their 20th Anniversary Summer Season.

The stage on entry was quite open, with the back wall of the theatre visible behind the band, themselves contained within some impressions of a machine, coiled wires and pipes. Either side of the main stage were two towers evoking the idea of these giant “sandcastle” structures very nicely. Everything else was yet to come.

Photo by Aaron Weight

This bright, colourful and energetic musical does take a little while to find its proper footing - perhaps due to the challenge of walking comfortably on sand - but this talented and dedicated cast carry us through with aplomb. There are some mic and mixing issues which mean that some of the lyrics are a little tricky to discern, but the songs are vibrant, joyful and sung with passion throughout.

The digital programme lists only the names of the ensemble, so I cannot properly credit any of the cast for their turns, but stealing the entire show throughout is the girl playing Pia - hitting amazingly powerful notes in all of her songs, including some strange-at-first-then-surprisingly-really-good harmonising. My only criticism of some of her songs is that they weren’t given any moment to conclude properly. The audience were desperate to applaud her but had to interrupt the flow of the continuing scene to do so.

Another highlight was the tourist guide, who displayed a quirky and relentless determination at all times, serving as a sort of narrator and at several points reaching out through the fourth wall and imploring the audience to choose whether they should like to stay, as “this isn’t a tale with a happy ending”. She grew more and more flustered as the events unfolded, but always had complete command of the stage in her own way.

The boy playing Smith, the mechanic, gave us some nice gravelly contrast - steeled with his dedication to keeping The Machine of Serene running at all times, serving the people and refusing to step away for any reason at all - and a nice counterpoint to Pia. Their tender moment later in the story is unexpected but sits well between the pair.

I also really enjoyed the embodiments of the machine itself too - lots of great stage craft combining for a nice evocation of strange and unknowable gargantuan machinery.

The ‘villain’ of the show, though quite clumsily and hastily introduced, is played with relish (as they often tend to be) but at times I felt a little too much shouting bled through from the powerful singing of her songs. She was given a very Disney-ish expositional song, reminding me of Jeremy Irons’s ‘Be Prepared’ or Jonathan Freeman’s ‘Prince Ali Reprise’; and for the most part she played it to those same suitably vicious levels, it just crept a little bit too far a few times. Her minions also deserve a mention, taking the usual incompetent sidekick tropes in their stride and providing a lot of the laughs of the show.

The tiny little puppet of Bo, handled beautifully by a couple of the cast outside of when Pia was holding him, was a really nice inclusion. And while he did get stuffed into a backpack and was unaccounted for at times in my view, his presence throughout the show is important, but not forced.

These are the highlights for me but, as I’ve already said, the whole cast were excellent - with plenty for everyone to do, including some really nice little vignettes, clearly playing to cover scene changes but in an elegant and amusing way. The voices - and again the harmonies - were incredible, there are definitely some future stars here with shining careers ahead of them no doubt. The songs were very fitting for the story being told, and a few particular moments invoked goosebumps in me and again left the audience without any choice but to applaud and cheer.

The story does meander a little bit, but such is the whimsical charm of it all unfolding it hardly seems to matter.

Except then…

This last section of the review I am actually typing from my car, I’ve stopped on my journey home because I want to write while the feelings are still fresh in my mind.

I left the theatre after the show in stunned silence, I went to my car, got in and wept. I drove a bit, but had to stop, and now I’m weeping again.

I’m not trying to be dramatic, I’m just conveying and recounting how deeply and viscerally the show’s ending has hit me.

In the final few minutes of the show, the rug is pulled - no, yanked - out from under us all; we realise what it has really been about all along, and it hurts. It really hurts. The sudden starkness of the lighting (including some very invasive flashing lights I had to shield my eyes from) leaving us with the entire cast on stage - all their smiles gone - staring out towards the silent audience with the accusations of their closing words. Even the bows are reserved and solemn, with the performers then leaving the stage as swiftly as the emotional sucker punches they’ve just hit us all with.

And just like that, it’s over.

Except, it isn’t, because I have a feeling that this is going to haunt me for a very long time - as it should. This has to be one of the most powerful endings I’ve ever seen to any piece of theatre ever.

Part of me wishes there had been some warning - I’m rather glad that my eldest chose not to come with me tonight at the last minute - but I realise, and indeed marvel further at the signs being there throughout, both spoken and implied; and that ultimately there shouldn’t be any caution on this finale. The pain is very much the point.

Everyone involved in this production clearly and palpably gave it all of their strength, courage and life-force - we feel the impassioned screaming of their very souls.

This show deserves to go further.

Welcome to Serene is at New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich until 31 August 2024.

FOR FULL SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE