And so I wait with baited breath for the triumphant comeback (I hate that word, it's a return) of the British musical.
This decade, the British musical gave us Six, which I think means WE WIN, but also included Matilda, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Sunshine on Leith, Standing on the Sky’s Edge, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Little Bulb’s Orpheus, Made in Dagenham, Betty Blue Eyes, Girl from the North Country, American Psycho, The Light Princess, If You Kiss Me Kiss Me, Romantics Anonymous…
So when you say ‘return’, I assume you mean return of the mega-musical (I LOVED Made in Dagenham, but…) but isn’t this more exciting?! Before around 2015ish, the West End was profoundly unwelcoming for ANY new show – we couldn’t have had a Leopoldsholm this decade, not before stuff like A View from the Bridge and The Nether and King Charles III transferred and showed we want risk in our plays and not Barkings in Essexes. Personally I actually think one of the best things about the British musical TODAY is that it isn’t Broadway and Blockbusters – that bigness limits risk. Instead here, young experimental talents can do as they please – which I think peaked with Six.
Best British musical this decade, then? London Road. Name me one British musical from the pre-comeback era that did what London Road did, or one contemporary American musical that’s done it either. No, it didn’t transfer to Broadway, or even out of the Nash. No, the film didn’t do Bohemian Rhapsody figures. No, it hasn’t been revived since. It was, however, the most daring and original and humane musical I think I’ve seen. I’ll take that over a thousand Tootsies. Hell, for me the most politically pointed show of the decade was Jane Horrocks doing Depeche Mode. I love the modern British musical.
So yes, we didn't have a Les Mis or a Me and My Girl or a Cats this decade. But we had a Matilda, a London Road, a Bob Dylan fest, and a Six. Comeback? From Six back to Cats? Purrrrrrrrrrrr-lease... The British musical never went away.
P.S. My top ten, into which I’ve not put a lot of thought so probably will regret some dumbass omission:
1. wonder.land SIX - actually, dumbass omission, I didn't see Sunshine on Leith on stage, but I love the film and have argued it as genius for six years now, so a tie, cheekily, I guess
2. Fun Home
3. Hamilton duh
4. London Road
5. JANE HORROCKS DOING THE SMITHS WAS BIZARRELY BRILLIANT BITE ME
6. In the Heights yeah Lin Manuel’s got skill
7. Scottsboro Boys Kander and Ebb at their best
8. Made in Dagenham
9. Lazarus
10. Everybody’s Talking about Jamie
11. Can I also say how much I loved the As You Like It at the RSC which wasn’t really a musical but sort of was with those fantastic Laura Marling originals?
(Dumbass omission, I literally mentioned American Psycho in the opening and missed it from my list...)
And I can't be arsed to think of my top ten revivals but of the top of my head Company obvs and Imelda in Gypsy obvs but the Arcola's Carousel was psychologically incisive, beautiful to look at and listen to, and the heart behind that interpretation...
