Millennials – A Pop Song Cycle – The Other Palace

(L-R) Luke Bayer, Georgina Onuorah and Hannah Lowther in Millennials at The Other Palace, London. Picture: Mark Senior

Millennials – A Pop Song Cycle continues at The Other Palace Studio, London until 7 August 2022.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

The second home-produced Studio show at The Other Palace, Millennials, by Elliot Clay, is an impressively robust, energetic, full-on affair, which promises much at the outset, but sadly flags like a bright bloom in the current heatwave.

Probably, its most impressive aspect is the marvellously garish seating giving the somewhat taken aback newly arrived audience a choice of bean bags, inflatable chairs and even a retro bath full of plastic balls to sit on or in as the case may be. Thankfully, those seeking a more comfortable posture to watch the show could select traditional upright chairs in the upper gallery.

By Millennials we are talking a generation spanning 1981 to 1996, according to a newspaper snippet within the programme, which has grown up alongside the boom of the digital age, the rise of major pop culture and a huge shift in political narratives no less.

Containing a quick-fire collection of pop songs, states Clay, that could sit comfortably on a Spotify playlist as well as a stage, the first few songs, ‘Millennials’ and the impassioned ‘21st Century Girl’ are everything that’s needed to get this production off to a bright start.

Certainly, Hannah Lowther conveys a delightful and touching vulnerability when she sings and it’s clear early on that this young cast is empowered by the production’s message and determined to make the content work – and enjoy themselves. There’s even a trampoline built into the set for some gymnastic antics. The real problem is that most numbers are not that memorable and after the half hour mark, the initial impetus feels lost and the musical content too repetitive.

Thankfully Georgina Onuorah, a recent graduate from Arts Ed has a great voice and the show’s musical rating goes up a notable notch when she sings, while you have to admire the collective spirit of the rest of her cast colleagues, Luke Bayer certainly putting in a totally committed vocal performance.

There are some genuinely funny moments, a bit of audience participatory dancing and even some bubbles blown from the upper gallery. Billed as running for 75 minutes, the curtain actually came right on 60. As admirably energetic as this production is, one hour was quite enough. Ironically, the best laugh was to be enjoyed leaving the Studio – the show’s adopted avocado logo being plastered all over black and white photographs of movie stars, some in cheekily strategic places. That I will remember.

Derek Smith