In Dreams, Leeds Playhouse Review

`Kenna (Lena Hall) In Dreams. Photo by Pamela Raith`

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Kirsty

What do you get when David West Read and Luke Sheppard (the book writer and director behind & Juliet) reunite for a new musical using the back catalogue of Roy Orbison, and bring together some of the most talented musical theatre performers from both West End and Broadway? The answer is In Dreams which is currently playing at Leeds Playhouse before heading to Toronto in the autumn.

In Dreams tells the story of Kenna Ryan who was the lead singer of the country rock band Heartbreak Radio (played by Tony Award winner Lena Hall making her UK debut) who reunites at a restaurant in New Mexico with her old bandmates Jane (Sian Reese-Williams) and her husband Donovan (Noel Sullivan), and Ramsey (Oliver Tompsett) after receiving some life changing news.

The show takes us through Kenna’s reunion with her friends and ex, and we discover a deeper and heartbreaking reason for her desire to reconnect after a 15 year gap. We find out that whilst Kenna is still singing, Donovan and Jane have become suburban parents and that Ramsey is an Uber driver and the break up of the band deeply affected them all.

`The full company of In Dreams. Photo by Pamela Raith`

Lena Hall’s performance as Kenna is simply stunning, her vocals are truly exceptional and effortless, however with the help of the funny book she is truly given the opportunity to show her comedic side without feeling mawkishly slapstick. Her scenes with the owners of the restaurant; Nicole (Gabriela García), Oscar (Manuel Pacific), and his grandmother Ana Sofia (Alma Cuervo) felt like Kenna finding a new family and group of people to love and appreciate her. Hall and West End stalwart Oliver Tompsett (last seen in Pretty Woman and & Juliet) had a palpable chemistry and their relationship journey came across as real and you really were fighting for them to reconnect.

It would be impossible to say which song was Hall’s strongest because she never failed to deliver, however the Act 1 closer “Crying” could definitely take that prize. Hall and Tompsett’s duet “Wild Hearts Run Out of Time” made the most of both performer’s amazing vocals.

`Donovan (Noel Sullivan), Jane (Sian Reese Williams), Kenna (Lena Hall) and Ramsey (Oliver Tompsett) In Dreams. Photo by Pamela Raith.`

Olivier Tompsett’s Ramsey reminds us that Tompsett is among the best Musical Theatre performers. He was funny, and charismatic and was able to show a whole new side to him that we have never seen before. As a long time fan of Tompsett, Ramsey felt like the perfect merging of Rock of Ages Drew Boley and & Juliet’s Willam Shakespeare, and “I Drove All Night” was one of the highlights of the show.

Sian Reese-Williams and Noel Sullivan also provided exceptional vocals. Again, one of the highlights of the book for me was the depiction of realistic adult relationships and showing that sometimes “happily ever after” is not perfect. Reese-Williams and Hall’s scenes towards the end of the show were part of the reason I left the show in floods of tears.

García shone as Nicole and her duet with Pacific’s Oscar where “In Dreams” was merged “Llorando” (which is a Spanish cover of “Crying”) was beautiful and a real highlight. Cuervo’s Ana Sofia felt like the heart of the show, and she was also given her chance to shine and her budding relationship with Richard Trinder’s George was a welcome addition. Cuervo’s rendition of “Blue Bayou” was one of the highlights, alongside Trinder’s hilarious rendition of “Pretty Woman”.

Leon Craig who plays Tom, the restaurant’s chef and Heartbreak Radio’s number one fan, was a joy every time he was on stage and reminded everyone just what a vocally strong performer he is especially with the Act 2 opener “Heartbreak Radio”. However, Tom’s scene with Kenna towards the end of the show was beautiful and I think that so many theatre fans will definitely resonate with Tom. Mark Peachey as Officer Lee was another funny addition and his relationship with Tom was so cute.

There were so many types of relationships in the show, both romantic and non romantic and each of them were given their time on stage without feeling that any of them were being short changed.

Whilst it is hard to name which performance was the best, where this show felt at it’s best was in ensemble numbers such as “Handle with Care” and “Margarita” and it felt like a tight and cohesive cast and ensemble. Patrick Hurley worked his magic again with Orbison’s back catalogue and Catherine Jaye’s orchestration made the classic songs feel modern and relevant, and Fabian Alonso’s choreography hit the right step every time and reminds me why I am such a fan of his work.

Arnulfo Maldonado’s set design was a stand out, with clever choices made throughout and alongside Howard Hudson’s lighting design it was the perfect partnership with great use of screens without them pulling focus from the story being told.

All in all, In Dreams feels like the perfect “jukebox” musical because it reminds us all just how many Orbison songs we actually know without just putting as many songs as possible into the show at the detriment of the book. I really hope this isn’t the last the UK will see of In Dreams.