Up, up, and away! What a flying stage debut for this brand new musical. I was so lucky to catch the final flight of 42 Balloons at the Vaudeville. It was a very special evening indeed. Obviously, this is still a work-in-progress but I had some thoughts I wanted to share, with the consideration that it is not the finished piece. Just a flavour… and one that I very much enjoyed.
With ambitious storytelling, heavenly vocals, sublime staging, and catchy bops, this show had me feeling both uplifted and emotional when the cast took their bows at the end. I’m so excited to see the adventures this musical might embark upon in the future.
What makes a man want to fly in a lawn chair?
The true story of a man called Larry flying in a lawn chair using 42 weather balloons is certainly a very odd subject matter for a musical. I didn’t know what to expect from it. The end result is an inspiring story about how far someone will go to achieve their dreams, and exploring how being at the peak of that mountain isn’t always the vision you expect it to be.
Having heard a couple of songs prior to seeing it, I was expecting a happy story about a quirky, ambitious man who had a dream and made it happen. I was not prepared for how much it would chew up my emotions and spit them back out.
Performing at the Vaudeville, the team at 42 Balloons had to be creative with their staging to make it work around the Six stage. Director Ellie Coote and choreography Alexzandra Sarmiento made this seem easy. Often in theatre, less can be more. We didn’t see Larry flying, or see the forty-two balloons, but yet we could imagine it all so vividly. This was also advertised originally as a concert, so I wasn’t expecting this whole staged performance we got either! Charlie McCullagh was the perfect choice for Larry, and Evelyn Hoskins continues to dazzle us with everything she does.
The catchiest of tunes
Jack Godfrey sets the scene with his 80s-inspired score. If you listen closely, you can hear elements from other musical theatre composers in his work, but at the same time nothing felt identical. Everything was fresh and new, but with a warm feeling of familiarity. The main influences that can most certainly be pulled out are from Jonathan Larson’s Tick… Tick… Boom and Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Ironically, the former inspired the latter, and the chain continues. I also got some Dear Evan Hansen vibes coming through in act two.
I’m not saying this as something negative. I really appreciate it when you can pull out musical influences within different works. It’s worth noting that Hamilton also wasn’t shy about being obvious with its musical inspirations. Strong influences from 80s artists and bands could be heard too, namely Cyndi Lauper, Journey and quite possibly Meatloaf? Don’t quote me on this, my 80s music knowledge isn’t up to scratch.
The music was so catchy I found myself humming the tunes all the way home. I don’t just mean one or two songs, but the entire score. I cannot wait for a cast album to drop and you can bet when it does I will be listening to it non-stop. My Spotify Wrapped won’t know what’s hit it. There are so many songs that are also just great tunes to listen to outside of the show’s context.
Take a listen to the opening song if you want a little taste:
Final thoughts
What makes a man want to fly in a lawn chair? Well, you’re gonna have to see the show to find out when it hopefully graces another stage in the future. I truly had the time of my life seeing 42 Balloons. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a musical I knew barely anything about going into it, and that was so refreshing. Also, just to be able to support a new original British musical is always going to be a good time.
New musicals with original scores are often deemed as too risky by producers. Most would rather put their money into revivals, Broadway transfers with an already established fanbase, or jukebox musicals. Obviously, from a monetary perspective we can understand this. And many of these shows are exciting and people enjoy seeing them too. But the dream would be to have more opportunities for new musicals with original scores to enter the scene more frequently. I can’t wait to see where 42 Balloons goes next!
Did you catch this show? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!