Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical @ The Shaftesbury Theatre, London
My first official ‘theatre critic’ moment on a Researcher ticket from Show Film First. But opinions still all my very own! (Even as I await that researcher questionnaire)… And what I needed, it turned out, was a bigger stage to truly wholeheartedly enjoy this musical.
My Just for One Day, again… The first time round I did enjoy it, this time I vibed! And I think it’s down to a larger setting, which really suits the concert nature of the musical. Whilst there’s still a tendency to dive into corners (the raking in the seating in the Stalls isn’t sharp so you can end up doing interesting leaning to see), the stage spacing is really effectively used overall. The musicians interact with the cast a lot more, and the cast walk up and around the musicians to suggest the journey. The stepped sports stadium seating provides an effective backdrop, and then there are props to suggest living rooms, aid camps, a record shop and the concert itself. The cast barely stop singing as we segue from one song to another.
The energy is off the scale — the singing, vocals and choreography excellent at supporting the plot, themes and ‘80’s classic bangers. Costuming has been resolved — and whilst there’s still a hint of Six, the costumes and hair styles are now much more ‘80’s or ‘80’s homage. We know where we are now much more securely and can get on with ‘Dancing With Tears In Our Eyes’. Equally effective is the video and projected image backdrops — guiding us through the news, politics and music of the time. Gasp as you see a newspaper for 16p! and all the awful things Thatcher was doing to the UK. They set the scene for the musicians coming together to make a difference in the UK and USA. There’s a wonderful Ultravox misty video homage — and we get ‘Vienna’, oh not once, but twice! Midge Ure is played by…George Ure!!!!
Enjoyable too is the lighting which is powerfully used to spotlight Sir Bob reacting to the human horror of life and death in a Red Cross aid camp. The Ethiopian aid workers have also been given a central role, particularly Amara (Rhianne Louise Mccaulsky) so that we’re encouraged to think, to care, to see people, rather than just react to the help they need and are being given. To consider the complexity of international aid and intervention. At another one point we’re bathed in searing orange light to suggest Ethiopia. Banks of lights are used brilliantly to create the concert and as a fire curtain during the interval.
Craige Els plays a wonderfully complex Bob Geldof — but it’s his humanity, his decency, his drive to make a just world which dominates things and impacts us. Also his humility, he isn’t in it for his name, he just wants to do the right thing, to bear witness, his push to get everyone on side because this is the right thing to do. Love him berating the paparazzi for trying to get him to be photographed along the hurting and dying, or literally naming and claiming during the press conference scene all the famous (shaming them and blackmailing them into not being able to say ‘no’ to such a gig). It’s also about the working together and the battles to work together — across technology, time zones, commitments and politically generated needless suffering.
Do whoop too for Marsha (Kelly Agbowu), a strong woman speaking truth to powerful men! It’s a moment!
Who I struggle with is Margaret Thatcher, PM. Here she’s cute and cuddly, loveable, a comedy act, and Julie Atherton is so charming and so winning, that we turn into a Tory Party conference. At the same time, this humanising is very much the Geldof ethos — he didn’t try to fight her, but to work round her, to persuade her and her government into doing the right thing and giving the tax back. It’s so difficult if you remember the ‘80’s though, to hear everyone whooping and cheering away. I did enjoy the battle of Mr G and Mrs T over tea — with rounds one and two boards being held up high at the back or the nauseating patronising tone of ‘Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand’. And I’m so sorry Julie Atherton because this is my prejudice coming through — you are terrific in the role, handbag and all! I love the Bob vs Mrs T dance off!!
Gemma (I think played by Emily Ooi when I saw it), as a character still comes across as bratty, uninformed about anything beyond now, screeching about old white men or questioning what a cassette tape could possibly be? However, there’s more nuance now, more inter-generational push-back and it’s more of a discussion (a very Geldof concept) than ranting. I’d like to see Gemma given more nuance as she can come across as a horrified 1 dimensional character. Suzanne (Young and more mature, Hope Kenna and Melissa Jacques) has great depth, passion and heart, as does her wannabe boyfriend, Anthony (Matthew Harvey). What Gemma does great is the most incredible vocals at the end — what a voice! What a moment! Do enjoy mature Suzanne and Geldof raising eyebrows and pulling faces as Gemma sings ‘Hope I die before I get old’….And who can not love Harvey Goldsmith, stressy, baffled, comic foil events promoter, (Tim Manhendran) as a literal human, indeed speaking, clock?!!!
There’s learning here too as it’s about learning and doing what you can, rather than just berating and criticising — that people do the best they can at the time, that Geldof and friends gave what they could, used their voices and influence for good, didn’t expect to raise so much — and then had to face all kinds of political, social, logistical issues which as musicians, rock and pop stars, they never expected to be dealing with. Geldof’s willing to understand, to learn, to do things differently to get the help to the people who need it, to literally stop the rot, plus provide the means for lasting change, is so admirable.
Yes there are all those ‘F-bombs’ including the one he didn’t say! and the musical has a lot of fun with this.
Most of all, it’s about the stars, the endless hits, cleverly mashed together at points and the Live Aid logo smashing down centre stage. There is the ‘Brian May’ giving the We Will Rock You solo; even more, there is clever facial up-lighting for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ — and three guitars on stage all at the same time!!! Let the drummer move too! A wonderful Tiffany moment, and the audience lost their restraint for Paul Young, muttering along!
The audience are clearly fighting the temptation to sing along and even after interval wines, mostly hold it back. (Apart from Paul Young). There’s the opportunity to rock out to the Quo at the end, and whilst not as rockin’ or exuberant as the end of Tina, it still allows the audience to get everything out of their collective system. I still think there could be more interactive moments — do get everyone clapping for ‘We Will Rock You’! Maybe even some controlled call and response to the ‘concert audience’? Or maybe they need some matinee sing-along editions?
Sir Bob’s iconic raised fist moment is so moving, connecting with all the viewers around the globe, and we get a fabulous Bowie ‘Rebel Rebel’ moment (Jordan Cambridge-Taylor). The mic sound fail for Paul McCartney is cleverly done, as we really do lose the sound. Here audience interaction could be promoted by getting everyone to sing along in the room to ‘Let It Be’, just as the audience did on the day. Ultimately, it’s the music which carries the emotions and themes, with a powerful spoken and then sung ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’. But I really did like this Monday, the musical was such a class act, a quality vehicle, driven equally by character and music. At the same time, the individual stories remind us that this was a moment of ordinary people coming together to do what a government wouldn’t do — give what was needed.
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