LONDON ROAD

Oh - one other thing. This is a musical.

That’s right, a musical. Now I need to stress just how technically difficult it must have been to write a verbatim (taken word for word from interviews with the real-life residents) musical and for it to be incredibly good. ‘London Road’ was originally a Nation Theatre stage production, so a lot of the work was done before the film, but that work can not be ignored. It is mind-boggling how the writers (book by Alecky Blythe, music by Adam Cork) captured the tension, translated it musically and made it work. There must have been a truckload of footage and interviews to go through. I absolutely loved just how literal it was, even down to the constant and very human “Um...”

It makes sense why the National Theatre chose this to be their first foray into film, beyond simply filming stage shows. There's something so quintessentially British about ‘London Road’ beyond your average tea drinking. It’s something I notice a lot in my English Immigrant grandparents, the occasional poking a head out of a blind to have a look at the street, but also not getting too involved - I didn’t realise how just English a thing it was!

I love when an original cast is used. There are stories of how cast members around the world were clawing at their chance to be in the ‘Les Miserables’ film; understandably it’s a world wide sensation and not something as small as ‘London Road’, but the fact that they used the entire original cast in some way not only humbled the film but gave the sense of community an even greater strength. Olivia Colman - is there nothing she can’t do? She is a marvel. Such a strong performer in every way, and this role was challenging to say the least. Trying to add a bit of realism to a musical is no easy feat, yet she and the whole cast do a terrific job, transitioning from interview to action and back again without so much as a blink.

‘London Road’ is uplifting, charming and undeniably British. Anyone interested in seeing the construction of a truly amazing piece of writing should go see it. It’s a musical fan’s dream, and is a confident step forward for the modern musical.