35mm: A Musical Exhibition at Phoenix Arts Club Review
The song cycle blends music and photography in a new London revival
35mm: A Musical Exhibition is a fascinating and unique song cycle that leaves a lasting impression. Based on the work of Broadway photographer Matthew Murphy, Ryan Scott Oliver's song cycle creates a vivid and emotional interpretation of the selected photos, encouraging audiences to really engage and dissect each photo.
Directed by Dean Johnson, this production hones on the intimacy of each photograph, with the cast often performing with subtle nods to each photograph through the use of props, lending itself to an impressive display of new interpretation.
The song cycle is a mix of songs based on photographs, with no sense of emotional narrative. The audience aren't guided through various emotions, slowly shifting from one extreme to another, but are rather left scrambling to process the show as a series of intense emotions are thrust upon them. It's an odd experience, often leaving audiences in a state of confusion until they let go of logic and let the emotions flood over them. Needless to say, this isn't a show for everyone, but it's worth the chance to discover something beautiful beneath the uncomfortable cover.
Oliver and Murphy have created in collaboration a distinctive exhibition of music and photography, exploring the vulnerability of being human. If a photo is worth a thousand words, then this show uses every word carefully to etch in their artistic message into the audience, with hard-hitting songs.
Enjoy unconventional pieces? Give this a try
The small cast of five bring these photos to life, creating a world around each photo, even though only a slice of it has been captured. Jaina Brock-Patel, Elizabeth Walker, Joseph Riley, David Joseph Healy and Aaron Aisoni, are each extremely capable performers, and this song cycle showcases each of their strengths. In particular, as a last minute addition, Walker learnt the show in a matter of days and delivered a stunning performance, while Healy and Riley's series of songs as a duo, become a highlight of the show. Each of the cast are given plenty of opportunities to shine on stage and they deliver extraordinary vocals that demand the audience's full attention, providing much needed emotional fulfillment.
Ben Ward leads the band as Musical Director, filling the intimate space with an electric atmosphere. Whilst their splendid energy is neatly paired with the strong performers, the cast and band alike suffered from several sound issues on a technical front - as the case may commonly be with one-day or short run shows - resulting in a weaker front for the otherwise excellent songs.
As associate director and video designer, Adam Nightingale brings Murphy's photographs to life on a large onstage screen. The clever design makes the photos occasionally flicker, glow or vibrate, presenting the images as though they may burst onto the stage, eliminating the possibility of them ever feeling static. Additional design and video have been added as a layer, providing a clever nod to how each photo holds a world within itself. This production goes on to lean into the photography elements of the show, with photos strung up throughout the venue (set designed by Nicole Johnson).
From the capable hands of Taylor Jay Productions, known for reviving underground gems of shows and taking a chance on lesser known shows, this new production delivers another unique theatrical experience, rendering each song to hold in so much love, loss, heartbreak, seduction, friendship, fear, passion, power, yearning and many more.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
35mm: A Musical Exhibition played at the Phoenix Arts Club on 7-8 July. Follow Taylor Jay Productions on social media to hear about their future productions.
Stream the Original Cast Recording here!
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the producer, with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the producers or venue. Standard tickets were sold from £28.
♾️ The production features a generally consistent sensory environment, with some use of loud music. No specific moments of note were reported by the writer.
Phoenix Arts Club is situated in a flat floor cellar space 17 steps down from street level and does not offer step-free access.
35mm: A Musical Exhibition is produced by Taylor Jay Productions.
 | A guest post by
|