Musical Bites, is a new initiative by The Other Palace, to provide a platform for new and in-development musicals to perform to an audience and receive feedback. Performed in the foyer bar of The Other Palace every Wednesday at 1.30pm, pre-scheduled new musicals are given a 45-minute slot to showcase a shortened version of their shows. Cleverly entitled "Musical Bites", this new initiative teases a "testing menu" of these upcoming musicals, whilst also timed to fit within a one hour lunch break. With tickets from £5, and food options from £5, it's a great value for money.
Three Kinds of Normal, with a book and music by Charlie-Jo Simpson, and directed by Liberty Clark, was the musical that was performed as a condensed version. Performed by Lana Fowler-Burtwell, Charlie-Jo Simpson, Sam Ellyatt and Pandora Seymour, taking on multiple roles, we were given a wonderful musical performance. With Simpson also playing the songs live on a piano, it felt quite monumental in the moment.
Three Kinds of Normal feels as though a dystopian YA novel has been given a musical adaptation. Reminding me of a personal favourite, The Maze Runner, Three Kinds of Normal is an ambitious musical with a well developed world and characters. The plot does feel a little rushed or lost in places, but this is mainly due to time constraints rather than quality, as the musical feels sure of itself. The songs and vocal talent in the musical are both incredible and it feels like it's already a fully developed piece of theatre that is ready for the stage. It felt a little harder to engage with the book, particularly dialogue or scene changes, as the transitions weren't clear. However, this feels more due to the nature of the arrangement of Musical Bites.
This particular afternoon of Musical Bites was the first ever public reading of Three Kinds of Normal and was a sold out event. Filled with friends, family and musical theatre enthusiasts, the atmosphere was really supportive, friendly and energetic. Promoted as an informal event, the seats are cosy in the cafe area and with the natural lighting, it feels quite bright and lively and a really nice space.
For more information on the future of Three Kinds of Normal, you can follow the link here.
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Gifted tickets in return for an honest review