20/08/23

theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (Theatre 1), Edinburgh

If I were ever asked to compile a list of subjects unsuitable for musical adaptation – it’s an unlikely occurrence, but bear with me – the story of John McCarthy and Jill Morrell would probably figure fairly prominently.

McCarthy is the British journalist, who in 1986 was kidnapped in Lebanon and spent over five years in captivity, being systematically beaten and interrogated – hardly the stuff of song and dance. Meanwhile, back in England, his fiancée and fellow-journalist, Morrell, tirelessly campaigned to keep his name and his predicament in the public eye. And although (spoiler alert!) McCarthy was eventually released and returned safely to his homeland, the couple didn’t have anything resembling the traditional happy ending.

When we first meet John (Benedict Powell) and Jill (Claire Russell) they are on the London Underground. As the music swells and Russell readies herself to launch into the opening song, Powell actually expresses incredulity. “This is going to be a musical?” he cries. And if I’m honest, I’m of the same mind.

But my reservations are quickly swept aside as soon as they’re a few bars into one of Adrian Kimberlin’s lovely, melodic ballads. Both Powell and Russell are gifted vocalists, especially when their plaintive voices are joined together in harmony. The script (also by Kimberlin) is clever enough to occasionally remind us of the artificiality of the piece, and this meta-theatricality provides a useful touchstone.

Most interestingly, the section that deals with the aftermath of the kidnapping – John’s ongoing struggle to reclaim some kind of normal existence after the living hell he’s been through – yields some of the most poignant moments. And Jill gets her chance to shine too. I particularly love the ballad where she insists that she will not be dismissed as ‘the woman who waits’, that she has a life and an identity of her own. I have to confess to tearing up a little during that song.

After This Plane Has Landed is a sweet and engaging musical, based around a turbulent few years in the relationship of two real people. Against all my expectations, it makes for a very entertaining hour – and I’ve just had to cross two names off that imaginary list.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney