Review: Longitude (Upstairs at The Gatehouse)

Review by Dan Sinclair

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Theatre has a long tradition of looking back to the history books for inspiration. Hamilton broke records by doing so, James Graham (Dear England, Ink, This House) has made his entire living from it and even Shakespeare did it. It’s nothing new, and it almost always works. For Longitude, our historical source is niche. The chosen focus of the musical is the development of sea clocks by John Harrison. You need clocks to be accurate to work out your longitude with Greenwich Mean Time and then that means… I’m still a bit confused. But the musical tells you all the science you need to know in one handy line, ‘you need to know when you are to know where you are.’ Simples. 

This production at the Gatehouse marks its debut. Always a place for exciting new fringe theatre, especially musicals, Upstairs at the Gatehouse has become somewhat of a hub for shows such as Longitude. There is a real sense that this show is a passion project for writer and composer Kaz Moloney. The score composed by William Godfree, Kaz Moloney and David Moloney is truly the show's highlight. The music at times nearly reaches the drama of Les Misérables with only a tight two-piece band, James Cleeve playing the keyboard and Doug Grannel on double bass. ‘The Man Who Conquered Time’ closes out Act 1, and it is stunning. You can feel a hint of Javerts ‘Stars’ underneath, probably helped by the projection of stars behind the actor's head. This is sung out by two stand-out performers, David Phipps-Davis as Harrison and Alex Lyne as the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne. 

In the central role, Phipps-Davis treats the audience to his wonderful voice as often as possible. Whilst the whole cast boasts impressive vocals, Phipps-Davis is remarkable. Alex Lyne is presented to the audience as the main antagonist, and with a name like The Reverend Nevil Maskelyne - it would be hard for him to be anything but. They perfectly fulfil the role of a surprisingly charismatic villain, and with an equally impressive voice, ballads such as ‘Commoners’ and ‘The Man Who Conquered Time’ show the real potential of this show. 

Unfortunately, this show is often let down by its script. While the subject matter is tricky for the actors to get their mouths around, and for the audience's ears, this is not the real problem (although it is less than ideal). The show is written to the musical theatre formula, very early on we get our Hero’s I Want song, (think I Just Can’t Wait To Be King, or Belle in Beauty and the Beast - ‘I want adventure’ etc). We then have the subplot of two attractive young people trying to get together much to the dismay of parents. And like most musicals, no matter how excellent the performers - an audience very rarely cares about this part of the story, t’s just there to have something else happening. There’s the ensemble opening number, the previously mentioned villain, it goes on. But this is not Longitude’s fault, it is merely sticking to the formula. 

When it attempts nothing new, it can become cookie-cutter. This is apparent in the character of Lizzie Harrison, played delightfully by Imogen Opie. As the centre of the subplot, she sings a ballad which could be replaced by Belle from Beauty and the Beast, she finds the love of her life in Adam Cox (a charming turn by Liam Bradbury) then they get married and never talk of adventure or science ever again. It relies so much on the formula that it shoots itself in the foot when it could thrive with such talented voices and a stunning musical score. When watching new writing, we have to demand more from female characters than daughters who dream of marriage and wives who support their husbands unconditionally, even after the husband sings a ballad (‘You Too!’) in their face about how little they support them. With an improved book, this musical could be exceptional. But at the moment, it feels stuck in the realms of pantomime plot and dialogue. 

Choreography and direction by Amanda Noar is polished and caters nicely to the three-sided stage. Lighting design by Benjamin Vetluzhskikh creates some lovely theatrical moments. The set design by Zak Stanley was simple but effective. I wish they had used some big sails, and chains in the set instead of relying on video projections. While the vocals and songs impress, the script and story feel behind the times. 

Longitude is playing Upstairs at the Gatehouse until July 7th.

For tickets and information visit https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173651986/events/428642338 

Photos by Nicolas Young