Review: Miles, Southwark Playhouse, Borough

Miles Davis’s life lends itself well to a biopic thanks to his uncontested stature as a great and tortured artist – a musician who helped define jazz in the popular mind and whose work is commonly regarded as sitting alongside the greatest the genre has to offer. It’s fitting then that a star like Davis is brought to life here by a star turn from Benjamin Akintuyosi, who gives an award-worthy performance delivering all the flair, bluster and quiet tragedy that can be found in Davis’ life. It’s one of the best performances you’re likely to see all year, and it alone is well worth the admission price.

And if this was just a biopic about Miles Davis I could leave it there with a full, unrestrained recommendation but unfortunately, that’s not what this show is; instead Davis’ life story is told inside a frame narrative where a struggling contemporary musician (Jay Phelps) tries his best to deal with big expectations and studio pressure as the deadline for his first album looms. Davis enters the picture as a kind of guiding spirit, telling Phelps all about his own life in an effort that seems intended to push Phelps to make his own creative breakthrough.

I say ‘seems’ because, notwithstanding this framing, the plot is overwhelmingly interested in Davis and little of note happens with Phelps, despite constant interruptions of Davis’ narrative to check back in with the lagging and uninteresting progress of his protégé. It’s a ‘two steps forward and one step back’ style of storytelling that, combined with some non-linear time jumps through Davis’ life to keep things consistent with the challenges faced by Phelps, just muddies what would otherwise be a great show. This is emphasised by the muted ending that has Davis leaving off at a seemingly random point halfway through his life, which inspires Phelps to finally believe in himself, for some reason. Whether it’s cutting this framing out or doing more with it, something needs to change.

It’s a real shame because the moment-to-moment storytelling from writer, director and producer Oliver Kaderbhai is generally top-shelf. The banter between the two characters is snappy, Davis’ voice is engaging and personable as he weaves history and anecdote effortlessly, and the strong physical direction has both actors light on their feet and constantly shifting scenery around to inject a great pace throughout; again there are some flaws, such as a fairly uninspired portrayal of Davis’ very real struggles with addiction as well as a scene with a prop baby that simply doesn’t work and should be chucked, but in terms of execution the show is excellent. Special mention here should be made of the lighting design from Alex Lewer and the video work of Colin J Smith, which both work to evoke Davis’ music beautifully in combination with Ellie Wintour’s impressive set. It’s a show that demonstrates so much talent, but a talent that will remain dimmed until it figures out the story it’s actually trying to tell.

Written, Directed and Produced by Oliver Kaderbhai
Additional Production by: Delerium, Lauren Reed Productions & New Wolf Productions
Lighting Design by Alex Lewer
Video Design by Colin J Smith
Set Design by Ellie Wintour
Sound Design by Will Tonia

Miles runs at Southwark Playhouse, Borough Little until Saturday 7 March