The Forgotten Songbook

Musical Theatre is based on confabulations and conceits wrapped up in glamour, a good tune, snappy lyrics and elegant dances. The creators of The Forgotten Songbook have taken the challenge of inventing within this genre head on, and have created layers of narrative, snappy and soulful songs with lovely tunes and engaging choreography. Costumes are changed at lightning speed, characters are enlivened and then abandoned, dances spin over the stage with passion and finesse and songs are belted out or crooned as required.

Karla Hillam and Jonathan Guthrie-Jones guide the audience through the highlights of the four main musicals attributed to Wilbur Weissman. They give historical background and demonstrate their acting, dancing and singing skills and even manage a touch of “star of stage and screen”. Emerson Hurley’s presence on stage at the piano is quietly competent and he sensitively supports the action.

One of the threads of the piece is an exploration of what it means to practice the ephemeral arts of the stage. The shadow of COVID still looms large. This element sat awkwardly within the overall structure of the show. It may well have been enough to give Wilbur’s story centre stage and let the audience draw its own conclusions about the pressures and difficulties of the creative life.

The Forgotten Songbook is a fresh and entertaining homage to stage musicals with a hint of concern about the people who spin wonders out of thin air to present to audiences for entertainment.

Ruth Richter