Review: FLYBY, Southwark Playhouse

The Last Five Years meets Gravity to introduce their unfortunate lovechild. Daniel steals a spacecraft and leaves Earth; his ex-girlfriend, Emily, is left behind. A trio of scientists breaks down their complicated relationship while Daniel records his days orbiting the planet. On paper, Theo Jamieson’s new musical is a thrilling original concept.

The core idea and its philosophical foundations are utterly compelling, so it’s a real shame that they bear very little weight against a shallow plot and uninteresting characters. Adam Lenson (credited as co-creator too) directs with profound empathy for the human race, trying hard to bring to life our harrowing need to feel connected. The material fails him. 

Neither Daniel’s stunted emotional intelligence nor Emily’s pedantry is the real tragedy here. The real tragedy is that it’s so clear what the creative team wanted to do, but it never clicks. While the couple (Stuart Thompson and Poppy Gilbert, who give incredible performances and single-handedly save this show alongside the rest of the cast) slowly descends into heartlessness as their incompatibility starts to appear, the other three (Rupert Young, Gina Beck, Simbi Akande) attempt (and miserably fail) to forensically examine their downfall.

Regrettably, the shortcomings fully lie in the writing. The unmemorable score is only the start; the songs all sound the same in both melody and words, with excessively prosaic linguistic choices and a knack for superfluity. If the sung numbers are meant to come at a point in a musical where speech isn’t enough to express what a character feels, this project could have easily been a play. More so because the spoken dialogue is often more lyrical than the lyrics themselves. There are a few alright tracks, like Daniel’s final ballad, but they’re generally neither introspective nor exciting enough to propel the story further.

The problem isn’t that there’s nothing too gripping about the protagonists; it’s that we’re not given any of their actual personality. Emily is relegated to being a spoiled nepo baby who doesn’t understand her own privilege. Daniel is the overly sensitive adult child who keeps a tally of how many times people have been cruel to him. She’s a filmmaker and he’s an astronaut; their professions seem to hardly inform their existence, even though we’re expected to believe that that’s the reason they’re so ill-suited together. Instead, we’re introduced to two frivolous personalities who hurt each other relentlessly.

Jamieson argues about morals and ethics, seeking to make philosophy the backbone of his piece. As per, this also receives a surface treatment, almost as if the discussions of existentialism and humanism were based on hearsay. It’s disappointing, especially when you consider that every character must have received a top-class education to excel in their field. Their miscommunication and refusal to sympathise with each other’s malaise would hit differently if it was backed up by depth.

While the fabric of the show is flawed and flimsy, the production looks great. Lenson’s direction is precise, with clever details sprinkled throughout. The scientists step out of Libby Todd’s gorgeous corner stage to observe their subjects, while projections shower the back walls with informational data and other graphics. These sleek, objectively pleasing visuals and exquisite performances are ultimately wasted. Turn on the news and follow the updates on the Artemis II mission, their flyby is more enjoyable than this one.

Flyby runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 16 May.