PREVIEW: Slipstream Theatre presents '8 Storeys Up'

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is widely recognised as the pinnacle of the performing and artistic world, launching the career of many a dramatic and comedy legend to the forefront of their profession. It is thus with great optimism that one particularly talented set of Southampton-based students and alumni have set up Slipstream Theatre, and will tour there this August with their original production 8 Storeys Up, a musical bound to warm your heart.

With music and lyrics by MTM-nominated Stephanie Amies, book by veteran amateur writers Rob McGough and Chris Foxwell, and represented by a well-versed production team (with direction from Jamie Hemingway and musical direction by Amies, Sam Dando and Alex ‘Teddy’ Clements), Slipstream Theatre have overcome a deluge of obstacles to prepare the company for its first ever production on the biggest stage of all. The end result is a testament to their dedication to their respective arts; as Amies and producer Dani Gambier told me,

It’s been an enormous learning curve. There are a million and one things you never realise you have to do, so it’s been a huge challenge with circumstances changing daily. There hasn’t been more than a few days in the past six months when we haven’t been doing something show-related!

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend a sneak preview of 8 Storeys Up this week, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself from start to finish.

Opening with a hint of Love Actually, the show follows the series of events set into motion by the arrival of Hayley at her new apartment, where a gathering of the block’s eclectic, but relatable, residents to welcome their new neighbour in turn triggers the multiple romantic threads running between them all to intertwine and change course – for good.

Initially the plot appears a straightforward set of love stories, but through a number of twists and turns, facilitated by an imaginative and fluid set with a variety of applications like elevators and cinemas, 8 Storeys Up continues to surprise and convey elements of charm, fervor and gravity in equal measure through its talented cast, carrying a broad range of emotion within its complex relationships.

This feeling is supported by a stirring score from Amies, whose diverse composition seamlessly switches from sweetening to sobering throughout, particularly in the enjoyable song “Never Have I Ever” (which may well spring a few uncomfortable memories in audience members!). It’s evident that a great deal of work has been put into morphing the musical from its initial drafts; as I was told,

We started off as a song cycle called ‘Only Love’ and since then the development has been fluid. We’ve had the production team and cast involved the whole time workshopping the writing process, and we had a forty-minute showcase in London which led to our rebranding and gave us some useful feedback.

It is in the musical elements encompassing scenes that the real depth of the show shines through, and as a result heavy demands are placed on the vocal potency of the ensemble, but in the run I saw (even missing a cast member!) they more than rose to the challenge, with an exceptional standard of singing demonstrated throughout.

Particular mention should be made of the standout portrayals of bumbling Leslie (a spirited Chris Foxwell), scorned Paul (Sam Otto, whose solo number, “Pull Through”, is positively spine-tingling) and vulnerable yet resolute Evelyn (the accomplished Emma Bryant), but it is the solid mutual understanding amongst the ensemble which truly elevates every character and relationship, with subtle glances, smiles and twitches between performers demonstrative of a well-bonded cast working together as a solid team.

With previews showing in the Annex Theatre on Highfield Campus this week (a Facebook event for which may be found here), 8 Storeys Up is well worth viewing while it’s in Southampton for an invigorating evening. After all, as Amies said,

Things are moving on and growing and it’s a very exciting time for musical theatre. We’d love for people to come and support local talent who have really worked hard to produce original shows.

If 8 Storeys Up maintains the standard it has already accomplished and continues its trajectory by using remaining rehearsal time to iron out any remaining crinkles, the work will well and truly have paid off. An exciting time for musical theatre indeed.

‘8 Storeys Up’ is showing at the Annex Theatre 8pm 1st-3rd August. Tickets are available on the door.