In Clay: A New Musical – Upstairs at The Gatehouse

Picture: Felix Mosse

In Clay: A New Musical continue at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London until 7 April 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We are living in a golden age of brilliant small-scale musicals. They occupy a disproportionate amount of space on people’s favourite shows lists – shout out to Ghost Quartet and Hedwig and the Angry Inch – but reviews can struggle to do shows like this justice. They might describe a piece as ‘charming’ or ‘intimate’, which drastically undersells the enormity of achievement of making a truly great chamber musical.

For In Clay, Rebecca Simmonds (book and lyrics) and Jack Miles (music and lyrics) deserve the sort of praise usually reserved for massive-budget West End spectacles. With just one performer on stage, four musicians, and a small team on light and sound, they have crafted one of the best new pieces of British musical theatre writing I have seen. Upstairs at the Gatehouse have been on a phenomenal run recently, and this production will surely cement their reputation as a go-to location for exciting new theatre in London.

In Clay tells the story of Marie-Berthe Cazin, an early 20th century ceramicist whose work was sold under the name of her husband, Michel Cazin. Michel saw acclaim and renown before his death in the First World War, but Marie-Berthe fell into relative obscurity. However, despite the heart-breaking injustice in this true story, the play never gets too bogged down with one-dimensional outrage. It gives Marie-Berthe the respect of presenting her as a fully rounded character, whose frustration at the unfairness of her situation co-exists with her passion for her art and genuine love for her husband.

Simmonds’ book is a delight. This is a one-woman show that is as gripping and impactful as the biggest of big-budget extravaganzas. Simmonds keeps us engaged with humour and perfect pacing, aided of course by the excellent central performance of Rosalind Ford. Marie-Berthe Cazin is brought to life before our eyes and we leave feeling as though we have made a new friend. I am bound to make at least one repeat visit to this show, and when I do so I will try to catch the alternate Marie-Berthe, Eleanor Walsh, who is no doubt also excellent.

Designer Rachael Ryan has transformed Upstairs at the Gatehouse into a Parisian artist’s studio. Chris McDonnell’s lighting is perfect and the whole environment is enticing. Yes, I should live in a messy flat that reminds me to practice creativity, of course I should. Any set design that pulls you into a show’s world so thoroughly it makes you reassess your own can be considered excellent. As an added joy, Upstairs at the Gatehouse is running an accompanying exhibition celebrating contemporary female and female-identifying potters, curated by Rose Gleadell. When you consider that the pub beneath has a great atmosphere and menu too, you would be a fool not to spend an evening out at this wonderful Highgate venue.

In the corner of the set sits musical supervisor Matt Herbert’s four-piece band. The music that Miles has written for this piece is absolutely superb. Not only are the songs catchy, clever and character-driven – as is the ideal for any musical – but they capture the Parisian vibe of the show and serve always to enhance rather than interrupt the action. We are treated to 11 numbers during this one-act musical and each song is distinctive, harmonically interesting and welcomed warmly by the rapt audience. Ford has a genuinely stunning voice, which remarkably retains its power and range throughout an entire one-woman show with only a glass or two of ‘wine’ to refresh it. I cannot wait to have these songs on my phone to listen to again and again to transport me back to Paris whenever I need.

It is not just the subject matter and the extraordinary quality of the writing that recall Stephen Sondheim’s masterful Sunday in the Park With George, but the intelligent grappling with the theme of “the art of making art”. Directed by Grace Taylor, In Clay communicates the joy an artist can find in the hard slog of creation so well it is genuinely inspiring. It can be just as difficult – if not more difficult – to make a genuinely good small-scale musical, and Simmonds and Miles have succeeded wildly. From a show that started development in the dark times of the Covid lockdowns, audiences will be thrilled and inspired to create art themselves. In Clay is a stunning achievement of British musical theatre writing that you should not miss.

Ian Bowkett