(C) Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a brand new British musical with music and lyrics by Richard Hawley and a book by Chris Bush. Named after the title track of Hawley’s 2012 album, the musical premiered at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on 14th March 2019 and returned for a second season in 2021, selling out both. Following in the footsteps of Sheffield mega-hit Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Standing at the Sky’s Edge then transferred to London and played The National Theatre until March of 2023 winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production and the South Bank Sky Arts Award.
Now, due to the musicals overwhelming success, Standing At The Sky’s Edge has opened at Gillian Lynne Theatre for a limited season. Hailed as ‘the most exciting new British musical in years’ (WhatsOnStage), London audiences once again have the chance to see this gut-wrenchingly beautiful musical and discover the many stories from a castle built of streets in the sky.
A love letter to Sheffield and a history of modern Britain told through the stories of one iconic estate, Standing at the Sky’s Edge charts the hopes and dreams of three generations over the course of six tumultuous decades. In 1960 we meet Rose and Harry who want the new life they’ve been promised as they move from the slums into the newly built “streets in the sky”, their son Jimmy falls for Liberian refugee Joy and they just want to spend the rest of their lives together in the 90s as the estate goes into disrepair and in 2015 Poppy wants to escape her old life in London, as she moves to the newly gentrified estate away from ex-fiancée Nikki. Using the irresistible songs of legendary Sheffield singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, Standing at the Sky’s Edge’s is a heartfelt exploration of the lives of three families as they navigate love, loss and the power of community and what it is we call home.
As our 1960s couple Rachael Wooding and Joel Harper-Jackson as Rose and Harry are exquisite. Rose begins the show as a housewife to devoted husband Harry and grows independent as Harry losses his job and becomes depressed with heartbreaking consequences. Both give stunning performances as Harper-Jackson vocalises his helplessness through the beautifully haunting song My Little Treasures and Rachael Wooding offers a powerfully emotional After The Rain in the second act.
Fast-forward a few years to the late 80s/early 90s and their son Jimmy falls for Joy and their love story begins. Genuinely happy, Jimmy and Joy have a beautiful daughter Connie. However as crime grows on the estate and it falls into disrepair, a tragedy occurs that rocks their small family. As Jimmy, Samuel Jordan offers a powerful performance growing from disaffected teenager to family man with an outward vulnerability and inner strength that seems well beyond the years of the young performer.
Similarly, we see Elizabeth Ayodele’s Joy grow from child to mother in a performance that gave the audience chills. As the modern day dawns, we meet Laura Pitt-Pulford’s Poppy and her ex-fiancée Nikki played by Lauryn Redding. Dysfunctional and finding themselves, Poppy and Nikki’s relationship echo a modern outlook on life and love where career often comes first and loving someone is often an act of defiance. Both vocally stunning and incredibly moving, highlights including Redding’s powerful rendition of Open Up Your Door and their beautiful duet moments throughout the show where their voices blend to perfection.
Acting as Narrator and modern day realtor, Mel Lowe’s Connie guides the audience through the musical occasionally popping up to comment on the action and using her outstanding vocal to introduce the second act on the title song Standing at the Sky’s Edge.
Adding to the emotional power of this incredible new musical, the remaining cast expertly articulate each character they play with nuance. Offering slick and dynamic harmonies throughout, the larger ensemble shine whether they’re standing in front of mic’s rocking out to the title song or singing gentle backup harmonies during the heartbreaking After The Rain. Brava!
The brilliance of Chris Bush’s book sees six generations of family life playing out simultaneously while Robert Hastie’s direction skilfully manoeuvres them around the stage and for this run, the auditorium too. Ben Stones careful costume design dresses his actors in instantly recognisable period costumes and Lynne Page’s expert choreography keeps the action fresh and constantly moving. A true ensemble piece, we see the almost 1000 flat Park Hill come to life through Hawley’s songs on Ben Stones amazing four storied high set which wraps around the full stage and blends into the Gillian Lynne Theatre’s own architecture immaculately.
Uplifting and devastatingly beautiful, Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a spectacular example of new British musical theatre presented in one of the countries most celebrated venues. With a cast recording available where all good music is sold, Standing at the Sky’s Edge is sure to become a favourite and receive even more accolades and awards. Do yourself a favour and book now to see this phenomenal musical before it sells out. It’s just that good!
Reviewed by Stuart James
