Review: See It. Say It. Sorted. The Musical, Capital City College

A delay on the Picadilly Line followed by my usual failure to grasp the geography of the King’s Cross area nearly made me miss the beginning of this show, but thanks to the unique fringe approach to start times I got in just before the lights went down.

Flustered and anxious, I immediately felt a kinship with the cast, who bustled onto the stage worried they were going to miss the Edinburgh train as they separately hurried towards King’s Cross Station.

Given that the “See It. Say It. Sorted” slogan has been irritating users of public transport for what seems like generations, it’s perhaps a bold move to use it as the starting point for a show, even with “The Musical” appended to the title. But boldness is to be applauded, and it’s just one of the many virtues of this production.

The premise is that five travellers are thrown together when the discovery of an unattended bag leads to their lengthy detention by a jobsworth station official. I’ve no idea how realistic this depiction of security measures is, but it’s not the sort of show to let such details get in its way. The characters are confined together and we get to know each of their stories. Fair enough – it works.

Although the cast are students, they’re mostly playing beyond their ages, including middle-aged couple Julie and Rich, who need to reappraise their marriage, and widower Henry who tenderly reminisces about the early days with his husband. Hyperactive young Sam tries to frame the group’s situation first as a version of 80s teen comedy flick The Breakfast Club then an episode of Poirot, clearly keen to form relationships with the group and particularly Sophie, who is struggling to come to terms with a recent loss.

Punctuating the main stories is officious station man Stanley, thriving on his petty power over the quintet. It’s here that much of the piece’s comedy emerges in a performance of sometimes wild abandon, unselfconsciously infectious. Here we also find the odd metatextual moment: I particularly enjoyed the indignant line “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be downstage right!”

Lewis Long’s script efficiently gives each character’s story room to breathe, and the laughs and the pathos are deftly blended. Eve Edwards’ songs are short, tuneful and well sung, the up-tempo ones suitably catchy and the ballads genuinely affecting. The cast do a great job, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to every comic and emotional beat.

At an hour and a quarter, the show is a perfect length for the task it sets itself, arriving on time at a highly satisfying destination.

Written by Lewis Long
Music and lyrics by Eve Edwards

See It. Say It. Sorted. The Musical has completed its current run.