SNAP!: A New Musical at King’s Head Theatre Review
Written by Mia for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
One snap can capture a moment…or change everything.
Judging by the title, Snap! A New Musical by David O’Brien - sounds like a show about photography and image. Instead, it’s a tired story about adultery, unfinished business and selfishness.
Plot-wise, it lacks substance, with a forgettable script that feels outdated, cringeworthy and bland. Lyrics are juvenile, music is forgettable, and some very interesting movement choices scream GCSE drama. The cast are not untalented and do their best with the material, but it’s lacklustre, even going so far as to objectify one cast member in a painful attempt at humour; there’s even some baby oil… At least the cheesy photos do not go to waste, resulting in a grammatically incorrect ad campaign at the end.
Justine Maire Mead is the standout performer, bringing depth and empathy to the role of Sheila (or Shelia, according to the programme). Her voice has a richness, and her facial expressions are excellent; the character itself is also less two-dimensional than the others. Her duet with Hayley Maybury is a pretty good song, although sadly not memorable, and the two perform it well.
The script needs a good rewrite to make it more believable and conversational, as Tom (Will Usherwood-Bliss) utters several bizarre expressions, including ‘please forgive me’ and ‘indeed I will’, which feel rather misplaced for a young 21st-century man. This old-fashioned/pretentious way of speaking would have been more suitable to the character of Max (Matteo Giambias), who is almost interesting, but sadly, his motivation for manipulating everyone remains unclear.
Due to the theatre structure, the floor scenes are lost to much of the audience, although these could be adapted; perhaps the unnecessary costume changes that leave the stage empty for what seems like a really, really long time, could also be removed.
As this is the second version of this musical, perhaps it will be a case of third time lucky… but it still needs a lot of work.
★★
