When the first lockdown was announced loads of people viewed the time at home to pick up new hobbies (such a baking bread or picking up a new instrument/language) or starting new intense workout plans. They become almost lockdown superhero’s who were constantly posting about all the things they are doing. There was a big movement during this time were creative people felt bad that they had not been constantly churning out new material due to the stress and fatigue they were feeling. This created a sense of regret within the creatives as they felt bad for not using the time effectively but it has been difficult for everyone and so this should be a thing. Being a lockdown superhero is not about churning out new materials, being fluent in all the modern language or getting your Michelin star (if you can do this fantastic but people shouldn’t feel bad if they are not mentally prepared for all that) instead I view it as an opportunity to work on yourself which included self-care. All of the theatre people I have interviewed have talked about right now people need to look after themselves, theatre will eventually come back but we need to make sure we are okay first! Despite not being set in a current global situation, the new concept album to “Superyou” is a musical that follows the life of a woman who reconnects with her dreams as a child after their super-heroine creations come to life. The album does only have 10 tracks which in total only comes to around 40mins which makes it a very easy album to find time to listen to.
The opening number in this musical is very unusual. The song is titled “we are awake” which is a very mysterious title that doesn’t fit the classical ideas of an opening song. The performers sing the lyrics “we are the voices in your head” (which was particularly spooky as I was listening to this through headphones so they were literally inside my head.) I hope this song is staged in an incredibly mysterious manner with fog and characters rising from the floor as I think that would shock the audience especially in the first song they watch. I do have to admit that I did find the song quite confusing to listen to. This song called “Fight for Katie” tells a very emotive story and takes the listeners on a musical rollercoaster. The song starts very powerfully and empowering but changes after a while. The song is crammed full of audio effects including a storm, heartbeats and a lot of silence with the mood constantly changing throughout. From the recording, you are only able to understand half of the story and so it may be a lot clear when performed live.
On the other hand, I loved the number “Fragmented” that was performed flawlessly by Kennedy Caughal. Kennedy is an insanely talented vocalist whose performance in this song was so wonderfully incredible and moving. It tells the story of how the character feels I completed and needs something to fill the emotional void they possess. This was a very emotionally driven number that was very powerful which I enjoyed! The song “Misfit” is a more rock-influenced number that is heavily character-based. It tells the story of a character who feels like a misfit and not fitting in which contrasted with the rest of the numbers in this recording. One of my favourite numbers on this entire album was “light of the world” due to how emotionally powerful it was. There was a large number of voices in this song that all worked perfectly together and talked about how as children we contain child-like wonder and excitement which burns out as we get older. This influence one of my favourite lyrics “when you dim your light, you dim the light of the world” which is something that more people need to think about daily! I always have a soft spot for musicals that end with a big ensemble heavy, energetic musical number as this allows the audience to finish the album/leave the theatre with uplifted energy. I also really enjoyed the chaotic violin solo that was artfully performed in this number but the combination of the violin and ensemble singing did mean that this track was almost a 7-minute long number.
Overall, this was a very emotionally powerful show that forces its listeners to feel uplifted and empowered. The show harks back to the childlike excitement perfectly and has come at at the perfect time considering everything that is going on around the world. I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars!
Rhysreviews 
Hey there! Thanks for the review! 🙂 This is Lourds Lane and I wrote the show, (and play violin). 🙂 Just a heads up, this is the concept album, not a cast album. It is a compilation of a some of the demos that make up the record — not the full show, and not all sung by our current cast. Songs are out of order. So, “We are Awake” is not the opening song. It actually comes much later in the show… not spooky at all. 🙂 I hope you check out the cast album when we have it. Thanks again!
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