REVIEW: Standing At The Sky's Edge
Olivier Award Winning musical tells us an important story but why is this show closing early?
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The producers of the Olivier Award Winning musical Standing At The Sky’s Edge must be pulling their hair out. They have an award winning, critically acclaimed show with a story that is relatable to 95% of the UK population. The show featured wonderful music, and a very clever, absorbing book but Sky’s Edge is closing early after only a few months in the West End.
Standing At The Sky’s Edge is modern UK social history in a microcosm. It tells the story of the last 60 years through the lens of the inhabitants of one flat on Sheffield’s Park Hill estate. (For non-UK readers the word ‘estate’ might conjure up visions of Jane Austen like space, grandeur and beauty but, in reality, it is the complete opposite)
We see how 1960s optimism for what Governments could achieve for people dissipate and descend into cynicism, disengagement and rejection. The show has an incredible book and the most vital and and emotionally soaring songs seen in a musical for over 40 years. Sky’s Edge combines the heart wrenching social commentary of Blood Brothers with the grand sweep of Les Miserables and will leave you walking out of the theatre a quivering and emotional mess while simultaneously uplifted with a heart full of joy (and love?).
Sky’s Edge is set on the Park Hill housing estate of high rise flats in the Northern English city of Sheffield - a city once famed for its high quality steel works and more recently for its creative output including The Human League, Heaven 17, Def Leppard, Pulp and the songwriter Richard Hawley whose music underpins this show. The local council built Park Hill between 1957 and 1961 at the top of a hill with incredible views across the city - hence the name Sky’s Edge. The flats were designed to have everything a family could need with fitted kitchens that even included waste disposal units that seemed almost space age at the time. The walkways outside the flats were wide enough for a milk float to pass down adding to the vision of “Streets in the Sky”. Park Hill was a development built to benefit its residents rather than the shady companies and rich folk that financed it.
People were moved into the shiny new, brutalist estate from slum houses and tenements. As time passed the local authorities spent less money on maintenance and the estate became notorious for violence and drug dealing ending up, as we see in the show, a place to send only the most powerless and least able to complain. Eventually it was emptied and condemned. However, because some people considered that the estate’s brutalist style was important it was listed as a building of historical importance - meaning that the estate could not be demolished.
This left Sheffield City Council in the position of being the owner of an historic building but lacking the finds to maintain or repair it. They ended up selling the whole 995 flat complex to a private developer for £1 - ONE POUND! The developer received £500k from Historic England to help with redevelopment costs and the first flats went on sale at an average price of £160k. Multiply that out by 995 and you get to £159million which is not a bad return on a £1 investment! The developers did, however, add a vegetarian cafe.
The journey from high quality social housing through sink estate to gentrification is the story of our times and the narrative arc that Sky’s Edge lays out for us, showing us three different families in different decades living in the same flat. The show’s book by Chris Bush cleverly interweaves and overlaps some of these stories while still retaining the show’s overarching humanity.
Chronologically we start in 1961 when the shackles of the World War 2 are being shaken away and there is well paid work for the working class man and woman AND a Government that provides secure and stable housing for its people. A young couple, Harry and Rose, move into their brand new flat in Park Hill full of hope for a life that can only get better. These were good days for working class people and it would be very easy at this stage for Sky’s Edge to lapse into a misty eyed nostalgia but instead by focusing intensely on individual humanity the show un-peels and reveals history, refusing to flinch, judge or dumb down.
The next people we see living in the same flat are a family of refugees in 1989 who have fled violence in Liberia and have been homed in the now run down Park Hill estate. Like the 1960s couple this family have hope that their life will now improve. Matriarch Grace is looking after her son George who helps to look after his younger cousin Joy. Through their eyes we see the institutional and street level racism of the time and, by extension, are asked if anything has changed.
The third timeline features Londoner Poppy who is buying a flat after the estate has been gentrified - or redeveloped depending on your point of view. Poppy is escaping a the breakdown of a relationship with Nikki. Poppy’s parents worry that Sheffield really is too far away (from London) but appear more reconciled when learning that there is Ocado here! Poppy and Nikki’s relationship has been through a traumatic breakdown and Poppy’s move to Park Hill reflects the optimism felt by Harry and Rose in the 60s as they all saw the same apartment as the chance to start a new life. The difference being that the state provided the chance for a new start in the 1960s whereas today only those who can afford to buy property can afford a new start.
This trio of stories run simultaneously through the show and the three timelines overlap dramatically and physically. Sometimes we see all the principal characters occupying the same physical and musical space but the writing, direction and acting keeps the stories clear. Chris Bush’s writing makes it easy for the audience to calculate where we are at each point of each story and to understand where each of the tales merge and intersect. There is an incredible use of the same space to simultaneously and clearly tell three different stories which are superbly delineated by Robert Hastie’s direction.
Technically, Sky’s Edge is a juke box musical as none of the songs were written specifically for the show. Like The Girl From The North Country did with Bob Dylan’s back catalogue, Sky’s Edge takes the work of Sheffield songwriter Richard Hawley and makes us believe that these songs could only exist in this context. Unlike North Country, this show makes our spirits soar rather than leaving us craving a large Scotch and a packet of Marlboro Lights.
There are some incredible performances in Sky’s Edge and I saw a recent Saturday matinee that featured around 8 understudies in the main roles. I should say that I understand that the show has had its closing notices and that all the performers I saw were exceptional, but it it still felt like the production might have maxed out in this respect. It would be interesting to hear the company management’s take on this situation.
Among the cast I saw were some absolute standouts starting with the incomparable Rachel Wooding as Rose who takes us on a downward trajectory in terms of light to dark, optimism to despair, while at the same time showing us a character who gains strength and energy. She was well matched by understudy Alastair Natkiel as Harry who starts the with all the physical and emotional strength and then spends 10 years disintegrating.
Rachel Louise Miller as Poppy perfectly pitched the middle class Southern woman and allowed us the space to discover her sexuality and the emotional damage her relationship with Nikki had done her. Lauryn Redding as Nikki definitely had the acting chops to show us how she had been left both emotionally and financially with nothing when the relationship with Poppy ended. She took us into Nikki’s journey of personal growth when she realises that she doesn’t need to win back Poppy with a series of grand gestures which can overwhelm but instead can trust that she is enough as she is.
Vocally Ms Redding has a wonderful and emotive voice but it felt like her character’s delivery of Open Up Your Door lacked tenderness and left the song harsher than it needed to be. Outwardly Nikki is a bit of a bull in a china shop at this point in the show but Open Up is a heartfelt soliloquy that allows the audience to see who she really is and it allows us to root for her as she tries to win back Polly’s heart. This might be a directorial choice but it felt like if Redding could remove the unnecessary vocal runs and growls she would make her job easier for the rest of the show. However, she got the biggest laugh of the night with her “thank you lads” to the band! (IYKYK)
The star crossed lovers in this show, Joy and Jimmy, were played by Elizabeth Ayodele and Jonathon Bentley in the performance I saw and both excelled. Their story is a beautifully crafted link between the three eras and their final scene will have you screaming at the stage as it dawns on you what is about to happen. Taking characters from innocence to worldliness is difficult and it was wonderful to see both these actors acquire the emotional weight required to show this journey.
There are also some stand out performances by Baker Mukasa as George who is brilliant in Tonight The Streets Are Ours (more about that later) and Monique Ashe-Palmer as Connie who provides the final coup de theatre becoming the show’s reason, heart and soul.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge is not without faults and the first is that it runs a little long, coming in at around three hours. Most of the challenge is in the first 20 minutes of the show which is slow and feels slow as the dramatic set up is created. And there are definitely a couple of chorus repeats which could be easily cut. Overall, however, the experience of Sky’s Edge is spectacular and Ben Stones’ monolithic tower block set challenges the audience’s sense of scale in the same way that huge buildings do in the real world. The choreography by Lynne Page is fluid creating beauty from the mundane and always respecting character. This is an excellent show that needs to be on your must see list.
To book tickets for Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the Gillian Lynne theatre:
Why Is Standing At The Sky’s Edge Not Selling As Well As It Should?
At this point in a hit show’s life cycle there should be announcements of the takeover cast with exciting names being drafted in to boost sales. Instead the show is due to close in August which is slightly earlier than its original booking window.
This is baffling on many levels. The show is creatively superb, has an incredible cast and, as I wrote earlier, tells a story that 95% of the UK population can relate to. But somewhere along the way the audience for this show has run out. This could be a sign that the audience for musical theatre has become so elite that the themes of this show no longer speak to them and they would rather watch the 450th cast of Phantom of the Opera playing Dukes and Viscounts.
Sky’s Edge has had a really positive media round with appearances on BBC Breakfast, Magic Radio and the nation’s most listened to radio station: Radio Two as well as various local radio stations and national press interviews.
Looking through the publicity shots and marketing materials there are lots of middle distance, hard and gritty stares. There are worried looks and dramatic moments but very little joy. There might be an argument that says if you are a person whose life has been economically hard then, of course, you want to see yourself reflected on stage but you don’t need reminding how shit things are and you need some optimism and hope for the future. Why do game shows, lotteries and the like succeed so much with a mass audience? Because they give hope that things can better - for you. Hence “It Could Be You”. And Sky’s Edge provides us with that hope on many levels - especially how it wraps the three story strands together.
When Sky’s Edge was chosen to perform at The Olivier Awards the producers went with the show’s title song. This makes sense from the point of view of that it is a powerful number with the whole cast involved. But the song is neither representative of the show visually or musically and is not about personal drama nor, more importantly, is it optimistic. As a point of reference at the 1985 Olivier Awards, Les Miserables zipped through a medley of I Dreamed a Dream, Bring Him Home and One Day More taking us from the personally dramatic into the full cast song of hope for the future. We got Patti emoting, Michael’s beautiful mullet and Colm belting out drama that could be felt on other planets. We also got excited by the sense that something big was about to happen in this show which also has a similar amount of tragedy, violence and despair.
In Sky’s Edge there are beautiful musical moments like Open Up Your Door or Coles Corner, the wonderful energy of I’m Looking for Someone to Find Me and the joy of Tonight These Streets Are Ours which gives us setting, character and hope together with a show stopping performance from Baker Mukasa.
And Standing At The Sky’s Edge is a joyous show. Despite the drama and tragedy, what we see is the resilience of a group of people and their ability to overcome, and to come to terms with situations. The message is ‘we know that you’ve been through some shit and that you will recognise that in our show - but look how it can all get better’. The show, importantly, also lets us know that our working class problems are recognised and are seen.
And here’s the rub. How does a West End musical with West End prices reach a working class audience during the UK’s worst poverty crisis in 100 years? The cheapest day return travel from Sheffield to London on Saturday 22nd June by train costs £150 for a couple. The cheapest seats available are £49 each which means that, without any food, water or a programme that a couple is investing at least £250 ($320) to see this show. Average take home pay in Sheffield is £491 per week which means that an individual buying the cheapest seat available is paying over a quarter of their weekly wage to see Sky’s Edge - and pretty much any other West End show to be fair. This is not a problem created by theatre producers but it is a challenge that needs to be addressed if they are to develop an audience and a skilled professional talent base to deliver their product.
If it is not addressed then what could this mean for theatre and, more specifically, West End Theatre? It could be that exciting new shows with something to say will be bundled into subsidised or small scale venues while the bright lights of Shaftesbury Avenue will only shine for star vehicles, or the shows they couldn’t close that have become tourist attractions rather than artistic statements - and God bless Phantom, Wicked, Mamma Mia and Les Mis for keeping their circuit of people working.
But overall if producers, the Arts Council and the Government do not act this will lead to a diminishing West End theatre scene. There will be more Plaza Suites and tribute band one nighters and less Sky’s Edges and Blood Brothers. As an indicator, back in 1974 a stalls ticket for Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre cost cost £2.75 which is the equivalent of £30 today whereas the same stalls ticket in the same theatre cost between £210 and £260 each. Something has to give.
No amount of great PR or marketing can sell a bad show. Likewise, even the greatest show will suffer if the market it is selling into is collapsing in on itself. This summer’s biggest London opening is another revival of Hello Dolly at the Palladium, the Rocky Horror Show is back at the Dominion with Jason Donovan for the summer and there is also a revival of Kiss Me Kate for some reason.
There are some reasons to be hopeful: The most exciting new show opening in the West End this year will be The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which is the first West End show to feature a composer from New Zealand, Darren Clark, whose music is a powerful and emotional mix of folk lyricism and musical theatre sensibility. While Marlow and Moss of Six fame open their new show, Why Am I So Single and Next to Normal gets a limited run revival after selling out the Donmar last year.
Standing at the Sky’s Edge is a show that has an important message about how our country has changed and how we want our lives to be lived. It is a wonderful piece of theatre that deserves a mass audience and there are rumours of a possible TV adaptation of Sky’s Edge which will bring the characters, stories and music of this superb show to the world outside of theatre’s increasingly elite bubble.
The JasonWard Creative Substack is for readers like you. I really appreciate your time spent here and invite you to support my work by taking out a subscription. A paid subscription gives you access to exclusive content plus the entire archive of over 100 articles, reviews, interviews, podcasts and playlists all full of creative insight designed to help you develop your creative projects and practise.