BWW Album Review: IMAGINARY Original Live Cast Recording

SimG Records' latest release is a National Youth Music Theatre commission entitled Imaginary, which was performed at The Other Palace in London in August 2017. This brand new musical about childhood and growing up received great acclaim and was recorded live across four performances, featuring 30 talented young performers.

NYMT may be the "best youth music theatre in the world", according to Andrew Lloyd Webber, but ultimately, they are still a small arts charity who receive no funding. The profits from the sale of this CD will be reinvested to enable them to keep providing such wonderful opportunities to fresh young talent.

Timothy Knapman's book revolves around a fantastic concept and is the perfect musical for children and adults alike, as it allows everyone to connect on a relatable level. Likewise, the song lyrics, by Knapman and Stuart Matthew Price, carry the plot forward effectively. Price's music is one of the show's greatest assets, consisting of divine orchestrations by Charlie Ingles, paired with stunning vocals.

Sam and his imaginary friend Milo are the protagonists of the piece, and Josh Gottlieb and Tom Price manage to capture the many joys of childhood in title track "Imaginary". The orchestrations are showcased at their finest in "The Best" and "The Headmaster's Soliloquy", in which the xylophone shines through.

The ability to make audiences laugh and cry is utilised in this show, with "She Played Guitar" and "You'll Find Me There" certainly pulling on the heartstrings. The harmonies are also pitch perfect and are balanced exactly right within the tone of the production.

Imaginary is certainly a show to look out for the future and is destined for great things going forward.

Physical CDs will be available from 10 September but can be pre-ordered now from www.SimGProductions.com and will be available digitally later in the year.

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