‘MT Pride Lab’ is a season celebrating musical theatre created by LGBTQIA+ artists. Curated by Tania Azevedo, ‘a vibrant playground’ of creativity takes over the King’s Head Theatre. Basil Plaint’s sister is missing. We don’t have many details except she’s suddenly not around. Follow Basil’s journey as they investigate what happened to their sister and discovers more about their self and the people around them.
An authentic and charismatic approach to a dramatic mystery, with a neurodivergent perspective, ‘My Sister is Missing’ was a wholesome show to experience. The direction (Georgie Rankcom), and particularly the movement direction during the musical numbers (William Spencer) allowed Basil to shine as their genuine, quirky self. Purposefully edging on the side of chaos, yet knowing exactly what they’re aiming for, Basil is someone that I could empathise with. A combination of the script, direction, and performance positively promoted a vibrant character with clear intentions. Basil’s liveliness, combined with a plot with depth, maintained the audience’s engagement. I valued the neurodivergent perspective that was displayed. I was grateful for the insight into Basil’s mind, especially as I do not regularly have the opportunity to communicate with people who are neurodiverse.
Comedic one liners were sparsely scattered throughout which received confident laughs from the entire audience. It was nice for the show not to be too heavy with the comedy so that we could appreciate the level of seriousness that Basil placed on their objectives. The story was not too complex so I believe it could be widely accessible. Although, it was still interesting enough to keep the audience on edge and curious as to how the plot will progress.
There was a natural integration of songs. Effectively adding to the production, rather than feeling forced for the sake of being a musical, I especially appreciated the considered placement of the songs. There was a great balance of dialogue and melodies. The songs composed and orchestrated by Winter and Gregory McCrorie-Shand were all very lovely to listen to. However, none were particularly memorable, in terms of sticking in my head or urging me to tap my foot along to. The number I will assume to be called something like ‘Basha Wada Wada Oh’ was a fun experience, but I’m not necessarily calling for a soundtrack just yet. Although I do believe there is great potential for the music as the songs conveyed good messages, I would just like more of a memorable beat. Also, at times Winter needed to project their voice more during the sung-through moments, especially when facing away from the audience so we could absorb the lines more easily.
From a technical standpoint, I very much liked both the lighting and sound design. The well thought out lighting design with smooth transitions effectively complimented Basil’s journey. Also, the pre-recorded audio was well timed and was of high quality, allowing it to sound natural. The additional sounds in the skateboard scene I believe are worthy of highlighting too. Not only adding a comic effect, but I think the audience were not expecting the sound effects which made the viewing even more pleasurable.
‘My Sister is Missing’ could have a bright future. Many people from diverse backgrounds could find something within this show to resonate with. At its core, ‘My Sister is Missing’ is a charming story about the depths one may push their self to be reunited with someone they love. My Sister is Missing runs at King's Head Theatre for five nights with its final performance on the 17th June. For more tickets and information, you can follow the link here.
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AD | gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Written by Carly