Spirit Eternal

As a big fan of musical theatre, it is always exciting to go and see new pieces. Recently I witnessed the first, official public/London outings for Happy Ending, Apartment 40c, Molly Wobbly and Heels Of Glory, all of which felt that they were at a stage where they could invite a paying public to enjoy them. In my experience the very nature of new musicals on the fringe means that they are still works in progress and hopefully subject to various revisions as their futures unfold.

It is rare, if ever that I attend the opening of a new musical in this arena and walk away thinking that the show I had just witnessed is pretty much ready. Yarico, a new musical by Carl Miller (book and lyrics), James McConnel (music) and  Paul Leigh (lyrics) is, in my opinion, ready for that 'next stage' - I shudder to say West End, as so often that appears to be a licence to lose money with so many new musicals.

Yarico feels both cosily familiar and uneasily distant. The story is based on real events and examines 18th century racism, attitudes to slavery and inter-racial relationships. There are hints of Pocahontas here but this is no Disney fable. You assume that Thomas Inkle will be the traditional hero but this is pretty much thrown out-of-court by the end of the first act. Yarico is a tale of love, betrayal and redemption played out through a rich, evocative score and some seriously catchy songs. There is a strong vein of comedy too - quite an old-fashioned concept in today's musicals - which blends easily with Yarico's darker, serious themes.

What the future holds for Yarico only time will tell but there is enough of a concept here to entertain and engage a broad audience demographic AND it has Jodie Kidd on board as producer.