Just the Ticket was performed by Musical Theatre Academy students at the Bridewell Theatre, London
Just the Ticket was performed by students from the Musical Theatre Academy (MTA) at the Bridewell Theatre, London.
This rather entertaining new musical by Nick Stimson (book) and Annemarie Lewis Thomas (music) was especially written to develop the talents of MTA’s first year students and it does that in spades. It stands up well as a worthwhile piece in its own right too.
Most characters work in a hard-sell call centre. Lauren (Amy Bridges) rather reluctantly agrees to marry Robbie (Sam Toland) but is drawn to the wistful other worldly Tommy (Cameron Hay). And the newspapers are full of an unclaimed lottery win for £100 million – if only someone would produce the winning ticket. The plotting is fairly predictable but it doesn’t matter much because, as usual with good musical theatre, it is the character acting and music which carries the show.
Bridges has admirable presence and an unusual capacity for evocative stillness, Her singing has bell-like clarity with beautifully sustained long notes. Toland gets his rather unattractive character, who really likes money better than anything and is unappealingly conceited, well and he too is a fine singer. And Hay makes a very pleasing job of the geeky dreamer who really is worth a lot more than Toland’s character. Genevieve Taylor is delightful as Mrs Walker, the chilly office supervisor, who turns out to have quite a back-story, and Zach Mobley’s over-the-top Rev Vinge is great fun.
Behind all this is some excellently directed and choreographed, very nifty ensemble work. The scenes on the Underground and the nicely observed hen and stag night are almost stand-alone set pieces – effective and very watchable.
It’s also a treat to hear such upbeat tuneful material, accompanied by a four-piece live band led by Thomas on keys, at a time when melody is distinctly out of fashion. Thomas gives her students lots of different rhythms and styles to work on including some witty patter and strong lyrical numbers. She makes good use too of the time-honoured technique of shifting the music into a key a semi-tone higher as a way of winching up the excitement. It keeps everything whizzing along at an enjoyably slick pace.
All in all this show is quite an achievement for 19 students – 12 women and seven men – who are only halfway through their two year training.
Susan Elkin
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