Exodus is a story well known by many, and one that shines a light over Moses’ courageous efforts. However, how much of the gritty side of the story are people aware of? GO! the Musical explores the “messy” part of Exodus through flowing lyrics and powerful attitudes. The show covers the majority of the story of Exodus, from before Moses’ birth to the aforementioned leading the people he has reduced across the desert. The story is narrated by Zipporah (Ayesha Patel), Moses’ wife, which helps the audience follow the various time jumps as they visit the past to gather more context to the tale. The focus is on the struggles Moses (Harel Glazer) faces after he has done the “easy part” of escaping Egypt and
Pharaoh (Alexandra Doar), referred to as his Mother throughout.
A big takeaway from the performance was the smoothness of what was sung and said. The lyrics and spoken words were intertwined so that not a beat of inconsistency was present. Adam Taylor and Mikhal Taylor have orchestrated (pardon the pun) a book that accompanies its score to allow full immersion into the world provided. A lot of thought and research has evidently gone into creating the story which has bled into tracks, lyrically. The term “spoken words” was loosely used above as the underscore of music was never diminished and text remained poetic with rhyming words and maintaining tempo. Still, at times, it felt like this was over done and some words were forced in to preserve the rhythm, but it did not take away from the successes.
The change in pace between Act One and Act Two was also noticeable. The former did not allow moments for applause post-song, yet the latter welcomed this. Whilst this might have been a stylistic choice, the lack of audience contribution in Act One created an atmosphere where the only sounds came from the stage, setting a precedent that the audience were observers in this world, but Act Two’s slower pace lost this by having to develop a new tone. Even so, the change of pace benefitted the story so if you are able to remove yourself from the world and become an observer again, then the pros will certainly out-weight the cons.
This work can only be as good as it is, though, with the correct direction. Nick Bond, a young director, shows experience beyond his age by taking this challenge in his stride and delivering a formidable piece, never forgetting the importance of the drama behind musical theatre. He is joined by Music Director Ben Barrow, who also played in and conducted the live band. Barrow’s experience proved crucial in ensuring GO! the Musical, and the
musicians, did not suffer from fatigue of constantly playing. On that note, a special mention should be given to Halcyon Sheen (cello) and Tasha Fish (percussion/drums/guitar) along with Barrow who never faltered in their brilliance to keep momentum and showcase their talents.
Sinead Donnelly appears to have mastered how to contribute to storytelling through nothing other than movement as her choreography made full use of the ensemble within the space. This complemented Maya Heritage’s design which was subtle, clever, and impactful. Further to this, the ensemble were deployed to play with all of this which is what tied it together expertly.
Camden Fringe is a phenomenal platform for new writing, especially in musical theatre, and may be the best opportunity to catch GO! the Musical before it reaches new heights as this will not be the last time it is seen on a theatre’s programming. Whilst there are still one or two tweeks to be made, it cannot be disputed that Adam and Mikhal have been working on something special.
GO! the Musical runs at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 28th July. For tickets and more information, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Lidia Crisafulli
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