Cable Avenue is a brand new musical written by composer/lyricist Tim Gilvin (Unlucky: the Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch) and playwright Alex Kanefsky (Creative Director of Paper Balloon Theatre).

At the moment enjoying it’s world premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough, Cable Avenue is a topical and electrifying reimagining of one in every of London’s most momentous days – celebrating a neighborhood who got here along with a name for motion, as The Battle of Cable Avenue was fought and gained. With racial tensions operating excessive, folks marched and took to the streets of London. This timeless story, set to a up to date rating, is as highly effective as we speak because it was in 1936.

Cable Avenue centres round Sammy, Mairead and Ron in October of 1936 within the coronary heart of London’s East Finish. They’re carving out their very own futures on Cable Avenue when Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists (Blackshirts) begin to march on East London. Half 1,000,000 Jews, Irish staff, commerce unions, the labour and communist events, ladies and kids unite to blockade the street all of them name house. Because the folks increase their voices and take a united stand in opposition to hatred, the lives of the streets’ residents are modified ceaselessly.

As our three younger protagonists, Danny Colligan, Sha Dessi and Joshua Ginsberg all give unimaginable performances all through. Danny Colligan’s characterisation of the troubled and confused Ron Williams is extraordinarily partaking and his easy voice impresses throughout a second act eleven o’clock quantity. Sha Dessi’s efficiency because the younger Mairaid Kenny is beautiful. Her highly effective vocal instantly mesmerizes and continues to ship all through the musical. As her love curiosity Sammy Scheinberg, Joshua Ginsberg shows appreciable expertise as he raps his method via the musical guiding the viewers and commenting on motion. The remaining eight solid members play a number of roles all through, altering costumes and characters all through scenes. All three households of Ron, Mairaid and Sammy are represented as are the police, newspaper headlines and the BFU. Every character performed is immediately recognisable and performed to perfection with completely different accents and physicality’s. A tour de-force efficiency by the complete solid!

Alex Kanefsky’s e-book for Cable Avenue could be very nicely drawn. Containing numerous and detailed characters dealing with home drama, romance, melancholy in addition to the historic parts on show, Kanefsky has created a splendidly shifting tapestry. Similar to the various folks of London displayed within the story, Tim Gilvin’s music for Cable Avenue is an electrical mixture of hovering harmonies, conventional Jewish hymns, rap, ballads and rock music. With a small band of keyboard, bass, drums and onstage guitars and violins; Cable Avenue’s eclectic fashion of music is underscored by an electrical beat that holds all the pieces collectively. Adam Lenson’s course is completely fantastic all through. With such a sweeping story and a number of characters to painting, Lenson delivers a crystal clear narrative. Lenson’s skilled course sees actors switching characters inside scenes and even inside traces, intimate scenes appear to embrace the viewers simply as a lot because the sweeping bloody battle scenes which had the viewers on the sting of their seat all through.

Cable Avenue on the Southwark Playhouse is an especially exhilarating manufacturing and units the bar for brand spanking new British musical theatre very excessive. Whereas the run on the Southwark is totally offered out, with performances so nicely acquired and a e-book, music and course this nicely executed, I’m certain we haven’t seen the final of this electrifying new musical.

Reviewed by Stuart James