Paper Hearts

[stevej678]

Arguably the standout new musical from last year's Edinburgh Fringe, Paper Hearts is coming to London from 2nd-20th May. Really excited to see the show in its new extended form at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

With a sell out show at Waterloo East Theatre and rave reviews at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, Paper Hearts transfers to Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

Set in a high-street bookshop, aspiring writer Atticus Smith lives avidly through his novel’s characters until the arrival of the fastidious Lilly Sprocket. With a contemporary pop-folk score performed by a company of actor-musicians, Paper Hearts is about passion and finding your place in the world, among books.

A five-star rave review from West End Wilma gives a good idea of what to expect.

[talkstageytome]

YES! I'm so excited about this. Saw it in Edinburgh and absolutely raved about it to anyone asking for suggestions. I'll definitely be revisiting this, especially as it's now been fleshed out into two acts. Really recommend this one!

[stevej678]

Headed to Upstairs at the Gatehouse to see Paper Hearts tonight.

It's morphed from a 75 minute gem at the Edinburgh Fringe to two and a half hours of musical perfection in London. A magical blend of modern day life (set in a book shop) and 1940's Russia, bringing the characters in an aspiring writer's work to life.

The score is something special, the highlights being rousing, footstomping folk music and the stunningly beautiful title song, all brilliantly played by a phenomenal cast of actor musicians. It's prime goosebump territory for sure.

The standout performance for me comes from Sinead Wall as Alex and Yanna. Her stage presence meant my eyes were drawn to her every time she was on stage but there's great work too from Matthew Atkins as Norman and Isaak, as well as Gabriella Margules as Lilly Sprocket. It feels a little unfair to single out individuals though when the whole ensemble are so good. The chemistry between them on stage is in Once territory.

If you liked The Clockmaker's Daughter, this should be right up your street. At times the music reminded me a little of Fiddler On The Roof too.

This really is a must see. Until it closes on 20th May, I would say this is arguably the best musical in London right now. It's certainly my new favourite book shop! And I think they may have found themselves a repeat customer.

[daniel]

Yessss so pleased to hear it's good. I'm going on Tuesday and I'm SO excited.

[Deleted]

Damn. I really want to see this but I can't get to London before it closes.

[stevej678]

Hopefully Upstairs at the Gatehouse (and then Hamburg) are just the latest steps on the journey of Paper Hearts and will be a springboard for further dates elsewhere.

I realised that the song in the video in the first post in this thread is actually no longer in the show! The showcase video features snippets of songs which do feature, focusing on the more pop-oriented elements of the score.



I will be very jealous of you on Tuesday, daniel . Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

[daniel]

I have a spare ticket for this tomorrow night, if anyone wishes to join me? £16, drop me a message if interested.

[David J]

Enjoying this so far

The music is certainly reminding me of the clockmakers daughter

Problem I'm having is that the musical wants to draw parallels with the Russian love story that the protagonist is writing and yet we don't see enough of it. Just snatches of it. The story about the woman and her brother is heartfelt. I wish I saw more about her grief

[showgirl]

I'd love to see this but the current run ends this Sat (20 May) and I've used up all this week's theatre slots. However, it sounds as though the plan is for the show to continue when and where it can, so here's hoping for another chance soon.