Format: Musical
Date: March 7 2020
Location: Unity Theatre, Liverpool
Script by: Caroline Smailes
Music & Lyrics: Anne Taft
Musical Director: Paul Taft
Cast: Anne Taft, Lauren Heywood, Jenifer John, Perri-Alleyne Hughes, Joanne Steel, Nina Cox, Alice Laybourne, Annamarie Newton & Mathilde Bellec
Duration: 120 Minutes w/ Interval
Synopsis
When Iris was born, Ione was determined that her daughter’s life would be better, a little easier and a little less painful then her own. But, as Iris hits her teenage years and as she begins to make her own mistakes, will she listen to the echoes of lives gone before that her mother and the Muses are desperate for her to hear?
The Colour Of Light offers a musical journey through motherhood. It sings out beauty, the grief and those universal truths of a mother-daughter bond.
Analysis
The stage is simply set. A 4 piece band sit upstage right and the air is palpable with the gentle buzz of anticipation that surrounds the theatre. The Sense Of Sound Singers enter onstage all dressed in white which break up the dark stage of the Unity Theatre. Starting strong with The Go Between we immediately recognise that we are in the presence of some amazingly talented women. The vocal talents of Sense Of Sound Singers are incredible and we can almost settle back and relax knowing we are going to be in for a good night. We are introduced to the character of Ione, played by Anne Taft. She’s a local girl at the grand old age of 21 and has her heart set on becoming a Mother. And a Mother she does become. Taft has this incredible talent of instantly drawing you in. She plays Ione with incredible ease and you are eager to know more about her story. Her baby girl is introduced and we meet Iris played by the skilled Lauren Heywood. Through a couple more songs we get the gist of their relationship, dare I say, a seemingly typical Mother Daughter relationship. Mum embarrassing Daughter, Daughter fuming at Mum, Mum pleading for her to understand that Motherhood didn’t come with a manual. There are moments of empathy, amusement and laughter from the audience when we hear about Ione holding Iris’s hand in front of a boy she fancies. It instantly reverts us to being a teenager and feeling the eternal shame of being embarrassed by Mum.
The dialogue is perfectly balanced by the music and lyrics, which is also written by Anne Taft. The music is brought to life by a talented 4 piece band who were brilliantly in sync and showed great musicianship.
As the show progresses Sense Of Sound Singers play the part of the Muses. Imparting motherly pearls of wisdom to Iris, echoing what Ione is trying to relate to Iris. They perform this in such a compelling and impressive way that shows off the ranges of each singer to the max. Harmonies are seamlessly beautiful and when all the voices come together, it is so rich and blends to perfection.
A stand out moment for me was when we felt Ione’s agony at the decision of Iris to fly the nest. She plans to go to conquer the West End. We feel Ione almost grieving for her daughter. The sense of loss overwhelming her, but she knows she has to let her go. At this point we also hear from Iris telling the story from her point of view. Lauren plays Iris’s character with ease. She is a natural storyteller and such an uncomplicated performer to engage with. It’s effortless. Another stand out part of the show was Iris delivering the news to her mum that she is moving in with her boyfriend after a short time together. Heywood (Lauren) delivers the killer of a line ‘You may be an expert on many things, but love isn’t one of them’. This is hard hitting and the delivery was so powerful. I instantly felt guilty of the times I’ve made similar remarks to my Mum (sorry Mum!). This is why this script is so perfect. It plucks at the heartstrings whilst opening your eyes to each others’ side of the story. Smailes’ writing is so emotive and powerful. It dives deep into all the feelings that every Mother faces at some point in their life. Taking us on an emotional journey with many of the audience reaching for tissues frequently throughout the show.
Summary
The vocal talents of every member onstage was outstanding. Each performer giving a strong, engaging and confident performance. Movement around the stage was simple but effective and was perfectly directed so as not to distract away from the songs.
I won’t go into too much detail about the rest of the show as I wouldn’t want to spoil it for any potential audiences, just to say that The Colour Of Light is an engaging, compelling, emotional story that will leave you feeling reflective, uplifted and thankful for any mother/matriarchal figure that has graced your life.
A definite must see and this is only the beginning for this musical. Follow them on their journey in developing the show even further here.
Overall Rating: 9/10 – Outstanding
