REVIEW | The Little Big Things, Sohoplace
The cast of Little Big Things. Photo Pamela Raith★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Harry
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
A new British musical has come to London's West End! The world premiere of Henry Fraser’s memoir, The Little Big Things has been adapted for the stage and it was a production that made me feel more emotions than ever. That's because it was a resonating piece of theatre. This show has events, themes and characters that are quite personal to my life and I'm glad I got the chance to see it.
The Little Big Things follows the true life story of Henry Fraser, and how a tragic accident changed his and his family's life, revealing a future that they would never have imagined. We embark on a journey with Henry as he discovers how to adapt to their new life in many different ways.
With direction by Luke Sheppard, choreography by Mark Smith, book by Joe White, music by Nick Butcher and lyrics by Nick Butcher and Tom Ling. I had heard a few songs from the show that was released before the show and I could hear the pop and upbeat sound in its score and could tell the lyrics were written carefully. I went in with an open mind and there was a lot to think about - how this production would present a sensitive subject, not only that but also deliver representation in a space that works within the round.
Directed by Luke Sheppard, Luke makes a very powerful piece of work. I feel that Luke’s direction for this show really shows how he tackles emotions and feelings to make the audience have a connection throughout. This is shown in many different ways, one example of this is how the brothers were always in the corners of the stage, this felt and showed that the brothers are protective and showed the strength between them before and after. Luke also made it clear that Henry wasn’t letting go of his past, Luke directed the interaction between both Henrys like they were both watching each other and it felt that Henry needed to know what happened to move on with the future. Luke projected Henry's imagination onto the stage perfectly, for example when Henry imagined his crush Katie not liking him anymore by showing the thought of Katie’s perfect boyfriend, which as an audience we knew wasn’t the case. All in all the direction of the show felt pure and engaging. I am sure the audience felt connections and similarities of difficult times in their lives when they had to come together.
Ed Larkin and Jonny Amies (Henry Fraser). The Little Big Things. Credit - Pamela Raith Photography.Mark Smith's choreography speaks volumes to the audience through a mix of contemporary dance with sign language, resulting in giving me goosebumps throughout the show. The cast performed in a synchronised way that gave enhancement to the words being sung. The other area of the choreography that really stuck with me was the aerial work especially when both Henrys were up in the air. Mark Smith makes a touching and beautiful piece of choreographic work with so much meaning in this production.
Joe White's book for the show has been thoughtfully written and has depth but not overly complicated. Joe has taken the memoir and has enabled Henry’s memoir to transition to the stage in spectacular style. It had so much emotion with lines being hard-hitting but still with a lighter side, as a lot of us deal with difficult situations this way. White’s writing enables everyone in that production to have an individual voice. It had a feeling and was something really special to hear on stage. The memoir was adapted perfectly. Joe's writing is truly remarkable and realistic.
Nick Butcher and Tom Ling’s music really emphasises the emotional impact that The Little Big Things possesses. One of the numbers of the production for me was “One To Seventeen” sung by Linzi Hateley who takes on the role of Henry’s mum. The song created pictures of Henry between the ages of 1 to 17, and showed the rollercoaster of emotions that she was about to start following Henry's accident. The music and lyrics work in harmony with the book to bring this powerful story to life in a way that is uplifting and emotional, Nick and Tom have given their all to the score and lyrics creating terrific numbers.
The tech side of this played an important part in this show, with the light creating a feeling and not just light. The lighting flooded the whole auditorium and it also helped to create locations such as the beach and Henry’s first painting. Colour is so important to this show and the technical side showed this.
It was great to see such representation on stage through disability such as Ed Larkin who played Henry Fraser who made a clear connection with the audience from the moment he came into the space. Ed also showed humour throughout but most importantly showed emotion and showed a great connection with Grace McGonigal who played Katie. Ed Larkin is very loveable and really has taken Henry's story and displayed life in a very moving way.
Linzi Hateley plays Fran Fraser, Linzi takes on the mother role perfectly showing that fight or flight moment of being told what had happened. There were times with Linzi's performance that I could see my mum doing exactly the same thing when I was going through my own journey. This shows the realism of Linzi’s performance, which brought tears to more than one person in the audience.
Alasdair Harvey plays Andrew Fraser. I feel that Alasdair's performance was so pure and it gave an incredible look at a dad's perspective on everything. Alasdair showed Andrew's determination in getting Henry to do art and his whole feeling of helping him move forward and look to the future. Alasdair gives one brilliant performance full of vulnerability and true feeling.
The whole cast came together and created one special performance from the connection between the brothers to the determined parents. It is full of heart and power. It related so much to me and it was like seeing my life on stage through the characters and feelings. That really was beautiful to see. Plus seeing so much inclusive casting on stage all at once this is what the West End and theatre in general needs…onwards and upwards, please. Maybe Little Big Things is a turning point and it's something that people with a disability are looking forward to and that’s representation and feel that they are being seen.
For me, it’s moving to see a show that’s got more than one similarity to my life being shown on stage, which includes the 3 siblings and the circumstances they were in. The show’s message of moving and adapting really puts things into perspective and really struck a chord with me. Looking to the future of the show, it'd be well translated everywhere in the world. It's a show with big things to come. It's a musical that has a great impact…not a dry eye in the house, especially from me, one of the most moving and exceptional pieces of musical theatre in London right now.
At @sohoplace until 25 November.
