Review: THE LIFE OF US, Another Long Distance Love Story, With Songs And Skype

BWW REVIEW: THE LIFE OF US, Another Long Distance Love Story, With Songs And Skype

Wednesday 22nd January 2020, 7:30pm, Hayes Theatre

The new musical from Australian duo Ben Bennett (Music, Lyrics and Book) and Ashleigh Taylor (book), THE LIFE OF US, has had its world premiere in Sydney. Under Neil Gooding's direction, this work, which was three years in the making, had a read through showcase presentation at Hayes Theatre and mentoring by Stephen Schwartz as part of the ASCAP Musical Theatre workshop in Los Angeles, returns to Hayes Theatre for its full debut.

THE LIFE OF US has a simple and unsurprising base storyline of a twenty something couple managing a long distance relationship with the aid of modern technology. The saccharine sweet lovebirds Charlie (Bennett) and Ellie (Taylor) have been together since high school and now face trying to make things work with 17,000km in between as he's gone to try his luck as a musician in London while she, a graphic designer, remains in Sydney to care for her mother who has recently be diagnosed with an illness that seems to be dementia though it sadly never really defined. There is nothing new to learn about relationship or humanity from this work which has been kept incredibly safe, avoiding challenging anyone or anything. The reasonably well off (her parents owned a beach house when she was younger and is in a decent job and he's not exactly a starving artist if he's got the capability to send $100+ flowers and hop on a plane at the drop of a hat when it suits him) white middle-class Ellie and Charlie have a lolly-polish 'goodness' with a predictable and benign 'twist' that gets resolved with similar predictability, as if the work has been prepared for the American market. Any real Australian grit, flair, or depth of character has been polished off even to the point of the character's clothing which sees the two supposedly artistic types have no personal style with him in a tatty sweater and her in a business meeting outfit that looks more appropriate for waiting tables than proving she's the next design hot shot. The saving grace is the aptly named Grace (Pippa Grandsion), Ellie's mother, and Mike (Christian Charisiou), Charlie's best friend and mischievous manager who both manage to inject some vibrancy, depth of character, human connection and honest emotion to the story.

Lauren Peters' (set and costume design) set serves as the Sydney flat that Ellie shares with her mother and the Charlie and Mike's London apartment. It is a pretty accurate representation as a fully furnished the two-bedroom, one bathroom abode, complete with kitchen and living room is arranged on a raised square on the Hayes stage. The broad three seater sofa provides a backdrop for a projection that marks out the days that the pair haven't seen each other and Veronique Benett's use of traditional filament bulbs gives the space a natural feel in contrast to the stark white lights (that unfortunately bounce off the redundant aluminium gable frames meant to represent a roof even though both live in apartments) for thoughtful moments or Charlie's gig solos.

In addition to a plot that fails to gain emotional buy in, the work also suffers from the insistence of reinforcing the use of technology to communicate with the pair staring into identical MacBook laptops, again another facet that shows how boring these two are, or mobile phones as they share both sides of the Skype sessions. The persistence of repeating the message that they are using technology without allowing the audience to connect through some other means of seeing the performers faces really only serves to alienate the audience and reduces any sympathy they could have fostered. For a work so anchored in the use of technology, it is a wonder that it wasn't used to connect to the audience with something like projections of the device camera feeds. In contrast, Grace and Mike aren't staring into devices and the audience warms to them in a way that one would assume the writers hoped the audience would care for the lead characters.

The music follows a contemporary pop influenced musical theatre formula but again, this work feels like they are more focused on the international, particularly American, market rather than telling an Australian story with Australian voices. Their spoken voices are Australian but Bennett and Taylor's vocals are distinctly Americanised. The connection to Australia is so watered down already that to also loose the voice makes it seem like just another cookie cutter American musical for the masses. By all means adapt it if it travels but at least let it connect with the audience it is presented to at the moment. As an Australian audience wanting to support new Australian works that have the opportunity to tell our stories, it is a great pity that this opportunity has been missed. Again, the choice to have Grandsion and Charisiou retain an Australian sound for both the dialogue and vocals further allows the audience to connect with their characters as the audience is alienated by the leads.

While the storyline is weak and the staging distancing and disconnecting, there are a few songs that have a strong potential to be popular as standalone pieces for cabaret or concerts with interpretations that aren't hampered by the singer staring at a screen. As it stands, THE LIFE OF US is too simplistic, safe and predicable which is a pity as we want and need strong new Australian works that are prepared to tell new stories and challenge minds.

https://hayestheatre.com.au/event/the-life-of-us/