London

GUY by Leoe Mercer and Stephen Hyde

4****

The Bunker

https://www.bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/guy-a-new-musical/

Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 until 7th July

Runs 1 hr 30, no interval

Veronica Stein, 16th June, 2018

@ReviewsGate

Strong perormances and great chemistry in performance

Guy is gay and getting used to the grind...on Grindr. Facing a sea of profiles advertising chiseled abs, seeking chiseled abs- and the accoutrements one can imagine is associated with that identifier- Guy is often rejected, and grows reclusive. That is, until he makes a fake profile using his best friend’s photos.

GUY, the new musical by Mercer and Hyde provides a creative, introspective look at the world of hookup culture in London’s gay community. Employing many classic devices of musical theatre, GUY presents a traditional package for a new story with a new sound: electronic music.

The performers are all strong actors with remarkable chemistry. Brendan Matthew as Guy offers a sensitive and relatable character, but truly shines in the latter half when he’s licensed to have a bit more fun. Seann Miley-Moore as Aziz has powerful presence and a voice particularly suited to the genre, his performance is equal parts aerobic and effervescent. Adam Braidley and Steve Banks provide chuckles throughout as Dom, the rude and crude personal trainer, and Tyler, Guy’s best friend, respectively (along with other roles). Another is the book and lyrics, Leoe Mercer has done a wonderful job in catering to a millennial audience’s references and humour, while making sure the story is universal and respectful of the conventions that came before it. She Loves Me and Cyrano certainly come to mind as potential inspirations, and GUY wraps up just as nicely but without being contrived.

There are weaknesses. Mercer’s music is successful in its duty to the EDM genre, and several ditties are catchy and memorable- but just as evening of house music would blend to a blur of synth and beats, so too does the score of GUY. It is not for lack of trying, but similarity of the songs leads to a lack of texture. The genre generally relies on autotune for cohesion, but live singing gives a distinct karaoke quality; there is little instrumentation to provide framing and support for the vocal performances. The sound design could do with some tweaking to allow for the performers to be heard more quickly, some lyrics get lost in the flurry of choreography and bass.  Yukiko Masui’s choreography takes advantage of the style of music to proffer a music-video-esque movement quality and is particularly effective when physicality is required for the story (i.e. the gym, a club). Some sequences are too indulgent in length, but that can of course be resultant from the score or any number of reasons.

Sam Ward has directed an entertaining and relatable romp through a familiar story in new context. Making use of the promising foundations of Leoe & Hyde’s material, he and the cast truly bring the story to life. Despite its shortcomings, GUY is cohesive, steeped in truth, and forecasts a bright future for the writers of their sophomore effort.

Credits

Guy: Brendan Matthew

Aziz/Chorus 1: Seann Miley-Moore

Joe/Dom: Adam Braidley

Tyler/Chorus 2: Steve Banks

Director: Sam Ward

Musical Director: Lauren Rowan

Choreographer: Yukiko Masui

Lighting Designer: Rajiv Pattani

Sound Designer: Dan Mawson

Graphic Designer: Sam Gee

London

GUY by Leoe Mercer and Stephen Hyde

4****

The Bunker

https://www.bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/guy-a-new-musical/

Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:30 until 7th July

Runs 1 hr 30, no interval

Veronica Stein, 16th June, 2018

@ReviewsGate

Strong perormances and great chemistry in performance

Guy is gay and getting used to the grind...on Grindr. Facing a sea of profiles advertising chiseled abs, seeking chiseled abs- and the accoutrements one can imagine is associated with that identifier- Guy is often rejected, and grows reclusive. That is, until he makes a fake profile using his best friend’s photos.

GUY, the new musical by Mercer and Hyde provides a creative, introspective look at the world of hookup culture in London’s gay community. Employing many classic devices of musical theatre, GUY presents a traditional package for a new story with a new sound: electronic music.

The performers are all strong actors with remarkable chemistry. Brendan Matthew as Guy offers a sensitive and relatable character, but truly shines in the latter half when he’s licensed to have a bit more fun. Seann Miley-Moore as Aziz has powerful presence and a voice particularly suited to the genre, his performance is equal parts aerobic and effervescent. Adam Braidley and Steve Banks provide chuckles throughout as Dom, the rude and crude personal trainer, and Tyler, Guy’s best friend, respectively (along with other roles). Another is the book and lyrics, Leoe Mercer has done a wonderful job in catering to a millennial audience’s references and humour, while making sure the story is universal and respectful of the conventions that came before it. She Loves Me and Cyrano certainly come to mind as potential inspirations, and GUY wraps up just as nicely but without being contrived.

There are weaknesses. Mercer’s music is successful in its duty to the EDM genre, and several ditties are catchy and memorable- but just as evening of house music would blend to a blur of synth and beats, so too does the score of GUY. It is not for lack of trying, but similarity of the songs leads to a lack of texture. The genre generally relies on autotune for cohesion, but live singing gives a distinct karaoke quality; there is little instrumentation to provide framing and support for the vocal performances. The sound design could do with some tweaking to allow for the performers to be heard more quickly, some lyrics get lost in the flurry of choreography and bass.  Yukiko Masui’s choreography takes advantage of the style of music to proffer a music-video-esque movement quality and is particularly effective when physicality is required for the story (i.e. the gym, a club). Some sequences are too indulgent in length, but that can of course be resultant from the score or any number of reasons.

Sam Ward has directed an entertaining and relatable romp through a familiar story in new context. Making use of the promising foundations of Leoe & Hyde’s material, he and the cast truly bring the story to life. Despite its shortcomings, GUY is cohesive, steeped in truth, and forecasts a bright future for the writers of their sophomore effort.

Credits

Guy: Brendan Matthew

Aziz/Chorus 1: Seann Miley-Moore

Joe/Dom: Adam Braidley

Tyler/Chorus 2: Steve Banks

Director: Sam Ward

Musical Director: Lauren Rowan

Choreographer: Yukiko Masui

Lighting Designer: Rajiv Pattani

Sound Designer: Dan Mawson

Graphic Designer: Sam Gee