The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean In An Armchair (Curve Theatre Studio, Leicester, East Midlands Theatre Invite)

 🌟The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean In An Armchair 🌟

16 August 2023 at 7:00pm at Curve Theatre Studio, Leicester

★★★★

National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) stage adaptation of The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean In An Armchair was originally written as a novel by Lara Williamson and it plays this week at Leicester’s Curve Studio. This new enterprise is such a refreshing hit of family theatre comfort and joy, and it simply feels like a big warm theatrical hug for tonight’s opening night audience. This musical’s world premiere, penned by Jordan Li-Smith, is phenomenally successful for its first fully-staged presentation. It encapsulates a relatability for all ages of viewers making ‘Armchair’ a solid family show. It explores the story in much greater depth than an average kid’s show. At the age of 19 myself, the childhood aspect feels incredibly close to me and it becomes inspiring to see so many significant moments of my life and relationships represented and very relatable to anyone in the audience.

The story begins by introducing us to the cheeky and untroubled kids Becket and Billy, both in adoration of their ‘almost mum’ Pearl. However, in the middle of the night, their Dad is impulsively forced to run away from home with his boys, leaving Pearl behind. The spirit of the family house becomes lost, and home is immediately demonstrated to be the heart of everything. Walking into the auditorium of Leicester’s Curve Theatre Studio, we are greeted by an impressively larger than life armchair, backed with two coloured arches.

The staging, designed by Richard Cooper, retains this generally minimalist approach across the show, with the armchair central. No matter where ‘home’ is, the armchair remains the primary focus, a reflection of memories and family, despite the whirlwinds of life. Prop work really allows this musical to thrive, with beautiful images using umbrellas and paper cranes to visually create an endlessly flowing show, drifting between ordinary life and the dreamlike state of the ocean. While the metaphor of the ocean is certainly a slow burner, and at times slightly confusing, props help to define the storytelling. It quite literally feels as if you’ve opened up a children’s book, exuding playfulness and make-believe.

Unlike any before, this young cast truly blow my mind with excellence and phenomenal talent. Leading the cast as Becket, Sam Carter is such a wonderful leading performer, with such confidence in his singing and acting at the age of 14, certainly a great reflection of NYMT’s coaching skill. Carter really holds his own with some delightful solos, and also harmonises beautifully with some of the older members of the cast, particularly with Dad (Oliver Futcher), where a boy’s relationship with his dad is allowed to be fragile. Ultimately, we grow to love Futcher’s nurturing Dad, and the majority of audiences will be able to reminisce about their own fatherly figures in their lives. Opposite Becket as Billy, James Breen is the definition of glorious fun and loveable foolishness. I can’t help but adore Breen’s portrayal, especially when as a performer, you can see him having fun with the role. Billy adopts a sidekick in Brian The Snail (Bill Stanley), to which he can share his fears and confide in Brian where a child might struggle to open up. Stanley leads a tremendously suave tap number as a snail (yes, it sounds utterly bonkers!).

After losing their mum at a very young age, we see three forms of mothers who affect the boys lives, depicted by Lily Copland-Jones, Charley Lawrenson and Olivia Spillane as Pearl, Mum and Cat respectively. The show explores a slightly darker approach with Pearl’s role, although it feels somewhat underexplored due to the character’s absence for most of the first act. However, all three of these performers are marvellous in their roles. There are some breathtaking vocals, especially from Spillane that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

And just wait until Ibiza Nana comes out!! Characterised by Alex Absalom-Sanchez, this crazy Nana is an absolute audience favourite, getting into a boogie whenever we see her. She loves to party, and she wants to share the party with us, lowering a disco ball and a wide assortment of colourful hues in the lighting (Nic Farman) to find the euphoria amongst sadder scenes.

As an ensemble, this cast work incredibly cohesively, as numbers feel so well-rehearsed with sharp choreography from Steve Kirkham, producing majestic sounds as they altogether define the show’s success. This musical prioritises fun over all, making the experience wholly enjoyable for any family or individual.

This new musical features an entirely new lineup of music, lyrics (Li-Smith) and orchestrations (Ben Ferguson), which are delightful in forming this fictional landscape where we are thrown into a child’s mind. Lewis Bell’s musical direction features a very light orchestra, and it marries the stage action perfectly musically envisioning the internalised whimsical nature of a young child. Particularly with the ‘SNOOP’ reprises, playing games as secret agents in the playground is all too familiar, and gets stuck in your head! The first act is full of vibrancy and comedic songs, such as ‘Show And Tell’.

The second act is harder hitting in terms of both honouring the memories of loved ones, and appreciating those around us. While the message is powerful and important to tell, I feel the overall enthused joy and stage dynamic is slightly lost towards the end and a lengthy run time. However, especially as this is a first staged run, the attention to detail and intense emotions the young team are able to communicate impresses me beyond all.

Directed by Hannah Chissick, The Boy Who Sailed The Ocean In An Armchair is a divine new musical full of warmth, showcasing that home isn’t a place, but a feeling of belonging. I had zero expectations ahead of watching this musical, and its heart-warming tale really has the opportunity to go the distance. I am already amazed by the storytelling on display, and I really hope to see ‘Armchair’ progress and see posters all around the country someday. Everyone should see this show and it’s great to witness NYMT once again proving themselves as a magical powerhouse of youth and youthful theatre.

My full review on East Midlands Theatre's website here: https://eastmidlandstheatre.com/2023/08/17/review-the-boy-who-sailed-the-ocean-in-an-armchair-nymt-curve-studio-leicester/

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