★★★☆☆
Sheffield’s own Playhouse theatre was transformed into a buzzing 90s club as the brand new indie musical ‘How Soon is Now?’ took its touring production to the city.
Written by Siân Owen, the jukebox musical tells the tale of three women: the energetic Polly and Angie (played by Laura Robinson and Kaitlyn Akinpelumi respectively), contrasted by Jean (Bethan McLean) – alone and overwhelmed. As the night of 1997 New Year’s Eve unfolds and we welcome the new year in, we uncover more and more about the girls’ stories as they grapple with the world, all while trying to find some form of escape on the dancefloor of ‘Deja Vu’.
A stand out for me was the charismatic DJ ‘Spin Jim’ played by Darragh Cowley. Described as being ‘puck-like’ , he offered an outside narrative perspective of our main three, all while consistently hyping up the energy to create that of a club. And it really worked – his bold performance coupled with the rest of the ensemble forming a live band on stage took you right to the feeling of the middle of the dancefloor.
Speaking of dancefloors – a light up floor was used brilliantly at the centre of the stage as characters danced their hearts out, while the rest of the atmosphere was nailed, even down to the grotty and graffitied walls of nightclub bathrooms.
For me, what stopped this show from being brilliant came down to two key areas. Whilst the music creates some brilliant moments throughout and adds to the club-feel, often the transitions between dialogue to song leave something to be desired. While not always the case (the transition into ‘No Surprises’ I found particularly moving), at other times I was taken out of an emotional moment as a 90s indie banger was suddenly belted out.
Additionally, the show has lots of ties to stories of abuse, with all three women having different perspectives on how those relationships have affected them, whether experienced directly or someone close to them. For such heavy topics I felt the dialogue was sometimes a little clunky and heavy handed. While each character’s stories and ties together were shown by brilliant performances and had amazing overall effects, perhaps unpacking all of that within the time frame of 2 hours left it slightly rushed.
Overall, ‘How Soon is Now?’ provided a fun night packed with nostalgia, dancing, and heart. A must-see for any retro-indie music fans, or those who love a night out with friends and the emotions that come with it!
