CD REVIEW: Beyond the Gate

Producer: Sim Greiff & Neil Marcus

Reviewer: Julie Robinson

The Public Reviews Rating:

Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) was established in 1992 to support and nurture emerging writers and composers of musical theatre: an important part of their aim is to create opportunities for new work to be heard. They found such an opportunity when they met the Artistic Directors of The Gate Theatre, who were looking to commission and develop a new musical.

MMD members submitted a range of material and the result was the workshop revue, Beyond The Gate; a showcase of work in January of this year from some of the best writers in Britain, based upon the theme of Ancient Greece, to collaborate with The Gate’s then-current production of Electra. A revised recording of the revue was produced by Simon Greiff at SimG Records (of SimG Productions) and Neil Marcus at MMD and released under the same name.

Beyond The Gate features both established British writers (such as Don Black, Frank Lazarus and Richard Stilgoe) and upcoming new talents (such as Dougal Irvine, Tim Sutton and Stuart Matthew Price), with a broad array of work, including, ‘contemporary songs about what it means to be a hero, odes to Helen, both comic and yearning, cries from embittered soldiers, and songs about mythical adventurers and Kings such as Paris, Achilles and Menaleus’.

Songs are performed by Stuart Matthew Price (Shrek the Musical & debut solo album, All Things in Time), David Burt (The Fantasticks) and Cath Whitefield (Hedda), with arrangements by MD Sarah Travis. Ranging from sweetly simple and graceful melodies to catchy, upbeat numbers, Beyond The Gate provides something for everyone: some songs are stronger than others, but on the whole, it is a solidly sound and enjoyable recording.

The first track on the album is Did It Really Happen? (music: Sarah Travis, lyrics: Don Black); a duet between Stuart Matthew Price and David Burt, whose blend of voices nicely lend themselves to this pleasantly pleasing song about the Trojan War. Price’s clear, assured voice in particular stands out: not just in this song but throughout the entire recording. Burt has his own moment though in Dear Helen (Craig Adams); where the accompanying violin nicely compliments his richly sweet vocals in this ‘ode to Helen’.

The most noticeable performances though, come from Cath Whitefield who possesses a remarkable voice. At times, Whitefield’s voice is deep and soulful, as with the softly sensuous, Siren Song (music: Cathy Shostak, lyrics: Chris Burgess) – at others, beautifully pure and silky-smooth, her velvety soprano tones especially striking in Cassandra’s Lament (Gwyneth Herbert).

There are some wonderful offerings from the well-known names here, but it is the rising talents of the new writers that really stand out in this album: Tim Sutton and Dougal Irvine are two such writers. Sutton’s Horse Whispers is a song with humorous lyrics and a bouncy tune, reminiscent of the type of ditty sung in ‘ye olde taverns’! Irvine provides the catchy, The Boat to Troy, a rousingly punchy and thoroughly enjoyable number. Both songs have a real focus on words and raise a smile, perfectly showing why Sutton and Irvine’s stars continue to climb.

The best songs on the album are the comedic Out On The Balcony (music: Eric Angus, lyrics: Paul James) and the closing track, Stories of Heroes (Stuart Matthew Price) – Price and Burt really shine here with their soaring vocals as the song builds to a big finish. My personal favourite though has to be the John Farndon song, This Baby Sleeps: a stunningly tender and luxurious song, with beautiful piano accompaniments and what is undoubtedly Whitefield’s best vocal.

Beyond The Gate is a must for any musical theatre fan. The songs stay with you long after the CD has stopped playing and not only highlights how wonderful our British composers are, but just why it is so important that companies like MMD and SimG Productions continue to work to support new British writing. These talented and high-quality writers are the future of musical theatre; Beyond The Gate has proven that undoubtedly.