A new musical is always something to get excited about. But in this day, where we’re offered a near continuous stream of rehashed books or films, a completely original musical is something to cherish. So, it is with glee to be able to see that there’s potentially one on the horizon, as a very early preview of such a show was showcased in London this week.
Following on from her success with The Drifter’s Girl, producer Tina Treadwell has teamed up with Kenny D’Aquila to bring us ‘If I Had You’ a new musical romantic comedy. D’Aquila is also responsible for writing the book and lyrics, with music created by Joel Spineti.
The story is firmly in RomCom territory. 30-something American man, Doug, is being hounded by his mother to find ‘The One’ and settle down. He’s not had much luck on the dating front, but rummaging through old childhood photos, he stumbles across a picture of his one true love, Sophia. He decides to reconnect with her but finds out that she’s now a backing singer living in Rome. On a whim, he jumps on a flight and plans to declare his love for her.
As expected, little goes to plan and what should have been a simple journey and conversation becomes a story of deception, self-confidence, career, and love.
As a musical RomCom, the great news is that it has all three ingredients in spades. There are songs galore, romance at its heart, and a decent dollop of comedy, mainly interjected by the supporting roles.
As a workshop presentation, you get a good feel for the show and it’s great to report back that this looks like it will be a welcome addition to the musical genre. The songs, in the main, are great. A decent number of catchy ones, and a few that hit decent emotional punches. The comedy taps into that contemporary American style – think Woody Allen mixed with Nora Effron – delightfully well.
The second act, to be fair, feels a bit flabby and could do with the script tightening up and possibly shaving off a couple of songs. And, disappointingly, the title track is one of the weakest songs in the collection.
Whilst you can’t get the full impact of a musical from a workshop presentation, it’s great to report that, in this stripped-down version, it delivered enough joy and delights to make me want to see the finished product. With a bit of luck, we’ll be seeing a brand new, completely original musical hitting the stage in the not too distant future.
Sonny Waheed