Supersonic Man

Southwark Playhouse Borough

This musical is heartfelt, important and shows the difficulty of being in the public eye when your life is deteriorating.

Could you have cameras following you during the hardest time of your life? This show explores this idea.

Lambco are back again with a heavy, poignant piece of work and audiences leave in deep thought. Set in vibrant Brighton, Adam the outgoing and ambitious lead is suddenly diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease. His life takes a huge turn and how does he navigate it? By fighting his diagnosis with positivity, comedy and channelling his main character energy into a documentary about his battle with Motor Neurone disease.

Aaron Clingham is the musical director of the piece, and the songs are thought provoking, symbolic and filled with a mix of emotions. Along with the musical being directed by the writer Chris Burgess. The story is loosely based on the true story of Peter Scott Morgan, he was in a documentary on Channel 4 called Peter: The Human Cyborg and this documented the way he tackled his journey with Motor Neurone disease, trying different surgeries, robotics and even AI technology... what a world the modern world is! Side note, him and his partner were the first gay couple to marry in England! The show asks some deep questions and makes you think about how lucky you are to live each day to the full.

One of the story lines the actors navigate is how the couple are bombarded with cameras all the time and how they react to this. There are so many raw, emotion filled moments, where the characters are trying to process Adam's diagnosis and how it alters their relationships; whilst having a camera crew push filming and trying to alter their words. Adam's partner Darryl is played by Dominic Sullivan, and his character development is the most engrossing. There are some real intense moments where he breaks down, questions him and Adam's future. He displays Darryl's fear of losing his love, his anxiety of what will happen to Adam's body as his illness progresses and how his life will be having to be hands on when supporting Adam as his range of movement decreases. Dylan Aiello plays Adam, he has main character energy, and he steals the stage as soon as he enters. His non-verbal acting is divine, whilst he keeps a brave, comedic personality, you can tell from his facial expressions and reactions how he is struggling with processing the diagnosis and how his illness affects his body. Mali Wen Davies also is a rising flame in the show within the show! Here multi-roling is divine; her characterisation is very animated and vibrant! Great voice.

Set designed by David Sheilds, built by Thomas Baum and lighting designed by Richard Lambert. The two elements bring the vibrance of Brighton to Southwark Playhouse. The backdrop is like a post card, there is a bench and seagulls hanging from the ceiling. There are some beautiful moments where the cast sit on the bench, Adam, Darryl and their friends and they sit with drinks. This close moment shows the beautiful support network that care for the main character. The lighting compliments the scenes giving them colour and bringing the seaside setting to life. The hospital scenes are presented by two chairs and a curtain/divider that gives the idea of a clinical setting. Cast members put on long white coats and sometimes glasses, to emphasise the change of pace and the lighting feels bright and intense. The transition from being at the seaside to a clinic feels heavy and gives you a small glimpse of how Adam is feeling. Adam has a section at the end where he wears a tight body suit that has a design of a robotics, to show how his body is altered with robotics to create his 'Supersonic Man' appearance. This is a fun section that leads into a tragic end, very important and thought-provoking end.

This new musical presents an important message and the way such a heavy subject is approached is in such a lighthearted manner. The cast have worked hard to create such a warming and fun show. Adam's character reminds the audience of the importance of hope. The only downside is the choreography feels a little stiff at times and scattered in terms of spacing and timing. This is one to add to your list of shows to watch and there is nothing better than a new musical.