If you have been following our blog for a little while, you will be aware that a few weeks ago we sat down and chatted to the wonderful Scarlett Smith (which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/YPtXV7dw2F8), where we talked about her love of the harp, being a wedding musician, and most importantly her upcoming tour of her solo musical comedy Any Objections. This is why, when it was announced that Scarlett and her show would be heading to the incredible Drayton Arms Theatre, we knew it was the perfect time for yet another London adventure! For those who have not watched our interview (which you most definitely should have by now), Any Objections is a solo musical comedy show that explores Scarlett’s experience as a full-time wedding harpist. As the only performer on stage, it is solely Scarlett’s responsibility to not only ensure that her harp/loop pedal combination is played perfectly, but also that the production transitions smoothly and seamlessly. I know that if it were me in Scarlett’s shoes, I would find this incredibly stressful, but Scarlett seemed totally at ease, showcasing both her musical and comedic/hosting talents.
I think it’s fair to say that the majority of young boys, at some point in their lives, had something of an unhealthy obsession with all things dinosaurs, and this is why I think that, as an adult, I am a massive fan of the Jurassic Park franchise. (In fact, we were lucky enough to review Jurassic World Dominion, which you can read about here: https://rhysreviews.com/2022/06/11/jurassic-world-dominion-screening-experience/.) This led to Scarlett talking about one of the more unique pieces of music she was asked to play at a wedding procession. What is particularly clever about this style of musical comedy is the fact that every audience member has a slightly different recognition speed, and so you could audibly hear the laughs spread across the room each time a joke was set up. This idea was demonstrated flawlessly in a sequence where Scarlett shared one of the more unusual requests she has had as a full-time wedding harpist: to play the iconic Jurassic Park theme tune as one half of the happy couple walked down the aisle. Not only was this a wonderful nod to our own childhood obsession, but the actual performance was wonderful to watch. Using her whole body—particularly her hands to play the harp and her lower body to manipulate the loop pedals—Scarlett delivered a beautiful rendition of this legendary tune. On top of showcasing her incredible harp-based skills, Scarlett also used this show as a way of demonstrating her abilities as a stand-up comedian, sharing a collection of hilarious stories about her experiences as a wedding musician. Scarlett discussed how being a wedding harpist is one of the few jobs in the world where you technically do not want repeat customers, and if someone does book her for multiple weddings, it might say something about their romantic history. This led to a brilliant sequence where Scarlett selected a willing audience member and performed a series of hilarious numbers she could play at the repeat booker’s multiple weddings, including “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift, which had the audience bursting into fits of laughter as they recognised the track.
After a short snack break for the performer herself (and no one else!), the show then shifted into more of an exploration of potential future jobs Scarlett could pursue using the talents she has developed as a wedding accompanist. It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that, despite making the four-hour journey to London, I still found a way to get involved in the show after the audience voted for me to take part in a unique game where we had to guess which object was being used to play the harp. What I thought was particularly clever about this segment was how it seamlessly tied together earlier moments from the show, including a toy dinosaur (from the aforementioned Jurassic Park sequence), a can of Tango (a homage to a musical genre she played earlier in the evening), and even the bag of popcorn she ate during her performance break. This cleverly thought-out conclusion not only embraced the childlike joy present throughout the event, but also helped keep the audience engaged and focused. This second section of Any Objections also contained a hilarious segment where Scarlett revealed her dream of becoming the first musician in space. This led to a workout-style dance sequence as she “prepared” for life in space, packed with high energy and fantastic audience participation, as viewers became aliens she might encounter in her new career.
Overall, Any Objections is a fantastic display of the wide array of talents that Scarlett Smith possesses, with her musical and comedic skills being particular highlights. The entire show encourages audience members to reconnect with the childlike sense of fun they may have lost over time, supported by the high-energy presentation the solo performer maintains throughout. Despite appearing chaotic and spur-of-the-moment, it is clear that every element of the show has been carefully thought through, from the storytelling to the musical performances, ensuring the audience remains fully engaged from start to finish. I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars.
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