Workshop – The Five Labours of Harvey Fish

A new musical, The Five Labours of Harvey Fish, had workshops at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 17 and 18 September, reports Michael Darvell.

A work-in-progress, The Five Labours of Harvey Fish has a book and lyrics by actor turned writer and presenter Brian Jordan, and music by Carlton Edwards, musical director of many West End shows and other productions. It has evolved from work at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. The plot is based on the story of Hercules, the Greek hero and son of the god Zeus, who was noted for his strength, although he had all of 12 labours to undergo. Setting the piece in modern times in a City corporation involves giving Harvey Fish (allegedly a direct descendant of the great Greek warrior Hercules) a more contemporary personality. In fact Harvey is more geek than Greek.

Jordan’s book tells an everyday story of a boy (Harvey, the IT nerd at a City firm) who meets a nice girl, Janice, in the company cafeteria. Whereas the girl loves the boy, the boy in fact is too dim to realise it. One day he is visited by his ancestor, the God Zeus, who wants to get the Greek Gods back on track, starting with Harvey. He poisons the boy and then sets him five Herculean labours, promising to give him the antidote if he completes the tasks. Harvey goes through them like a dose of salts, standing up to bullies, breaking up relationships, taking over the company and generally causing havoc everywhere. He eventually turns into the sort of monster he loathes. Finally, he sees the error of his ways when he is arrested for insider trading. While in prison, he realises his love for Janice and opts to find his true love.

It is perhaps an odd plot for a musical comedy and seems more like the synopsis for a modern opera, but it has some rousing music and witty lyrics that should appeal to a more literate audience. The workshop was but a 70-minute taster from a full-length, two-hour show, but it gave enough of an idea of where the piece was going, contrived though it may have appeared at the time. It has abundant good humour and is very entertaining. With director Thom Southerland on board, the show has a good pedigree as he is one of the best young directors of musicals in the UK.

The workshops boasted an eager and exceptional cast with Simon Green as Zeus and Luigi, playing and singing with great authority; Mark Willshire as Harvey, Charlotte Wakefield as Janice, Kate Graham as Helen, Michele Moran as Dierdra, and Norman Bowman and Gary Watson playing the other two Greek Gods, Apollo and Hermes and various other minor parts.

Composer Carlton Edwards provided piano accompaniment and Nick James was on drums. I don’t think we have heard the last of The Five Labours of Harvey Fish as sooner or later it will no doubt appear in a full production. Here’s wishing it well.