The US college bias of the writing skews the experience a little but most of the trials and tribulations experienced here are universally felt – the fluttering nerves of first loves and coming out, dealing with upheaval and change, the pain of loss of love or life. And a large part of the relatability comes from the warmth and openness of the performances here – Jodie Steele’s affecting heartbreak in ‘Me and Ricky’, Ina Marie Smith’s plaintive lament for her mother in ‘Promise Me’, Joshua LeClair’s powerfully felt ‘Footprint’, all supported by some fine work from MD Barney Ashworth from the keyboard.
Christopher Lane’s production keeps a vigour to proceedings, ensuring the key note of each segment powers through, perhaps a little unsubtly in the case of the OCD sufferer but more amusingly with the numbers nerd (the excellent Simon Bailey) and downright hilariously with life choices of ‘Apples and Oranges’ which is pretty much worth the admission fee thanks to LeClair and Curtis Brown. Bartram’s music has the occasional tendency to noodle about when a concise approach would seem more apt and though the way in which physics is used to underscore each scene, it doesn’t always feel like the most natural fit.