Songs for a New World (written and composed by Jason Robert Brown) is an abstract, almost deconstructed take on musical theatre. With no dialogue and few clear strands of narrative, this show is better described as a song cycle with a theme. Although this idea is introduced quickly in the opening number ‘It’s about one moment, the moment before it all becomes clear’, the truth is, this show is about lots of moments. Stitched together scenarios are united by a multi-rolling cast who experience similar arcs despite their (mostly) unrelated situations. I found it helpful to go into the show with the words of Brown himself: “It’s about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.” In many ways, Songs for a New World is a musical collage, where the audience can have no real idea what is coming next.

The triumph of this show lies in its cast. Left in the capable hands of five experienced musical theatre performers, they alone are a good enough reason to buy tickets for this show. April Perrott, Neela Nee, Isabel Beresford-Cole, Maya Moh and Matthew Weatherhead set the bar high for one another, and continue to raise this throughout the show. Each song is a tough act to follow but each and every member rose to the challenge and the audience were only too happy to sit back and let them shine… over and over again. It was as individuals, though, that I thought they were at their best. You’d think that with a company this strong, they would be unstoppable in the moments that they all came together, but somehow the energy dipped in chorus moments. Sometimes they delivered harmony lines off stage, sometimes while dancing on stage, and frequently sat on steps, they just felt unsure as to who they were in these moments. This show was at its best when individuals took their moment and they made the immense amount of difficult music look very easy. It was a treat to watch.

“In many ways, Songs for a New World is a musical collage”

It should also be noted that this show comes with innate difficulties for director Jessi Rogers. With no dialogue to work with, scenarios and narratives can only be delivered through song. The show is theatrically interesting because of the situations it brings together, but if each scenario is not established clearly and quickly, the audience are left confused. The show suffered slightly from opening-night teething problems as mixing issues meant that many of the words were lost in the first half. This was a shame when the words are so crucial to understanding the significance of each song, but something that is sure to be ironed out throughout its run.

“Each song is a tough act to follow but each and every member rose to the challenge”

That being said, Songs for a New World walks the line of concert and musical theatre, and in a show all about storytelling, it did not always prioritise the theatre element. This was with the exception of April Perrott and Matthew Weatherhead who confidently delivered their character and stories. When all of these components came together, the show really worked. Perhaps this is down to a score that, although beautiful, is filled with many same-sounding ‘I Want’ songs. Perrott’s numbers had the most audible variation. Her sassy and bitter personification of Mrs Claus in ‘Surabaya Santa’ unexpectedly stole the show. The sustained applause that this song got suggests that this show thrived with variety, something that the score does not always allow for. With minimal costume changes and the repeated ‘park and bark’ staging, I feel that more could have been done to inject variety into the show.

The band were the show’s other big success. The choice to have them on stage with the cast was perfect, and they thrived under the direction of George Jackson. The lighting also helped to move the actors between songs, and the stage looked dreamy as the colours added welcome flourishes to beats of the songs - lighting designers Steph Cho and Robert Woodland did an excellent job.

At the very least, Songs for a New World is the showcase that this talented cast deserve, but this show would have benefitted from the story telling being pulled out more. That being said, the show is also a tender and gentle homage to musical theatre, and the power of songs. The message in the show’s closing number epitomises this perfectly: ‘Listen to the song that I sing and trust me, we’ll be fine’.