15 Aug REVIEW: Grim at the Charing Cross Theatre

Boy meets girl. They fall in love. People around them start dying. It’s not your average romantic comedy premise, but then, your average romantic comedy’s, “boy,” probably isn’t Cupid. And your average romantic comedy’s, “girl,” probably isn’t the Grim Reaper. So here’s a rephrase. The God of Love meets the Angel of Death. They fall in love. People around them start dying.

Put simply, that’s the basis of Grim, A New Musical, which is currently playing at the Charing Cross Theatre. We follow Grim, the new girl in school, as she struggles with being different to the other girls, with jealous jibes as heartthrob Cupid falls for her, and with the devastating impact her presence has on the people around her.

The new musical from Untold Theatre is unlike anything else on stage, and largely, I think it works. The character of Grim is interesting in herself, yet we never quite understand how she came to be at the school, and the extent to which she is in control of the deaths that follow her around. She is played well by Roseanna Christoforou who smashes the vocals, and gives an endearingly deadpan delivery, opposite Anthony Matteo, a charming Cupid, if not entirely convincing as a high school dreamboat.

As Grim’s friend and fellow misfit, Amelia, Georgi Mottram creates a little bit of magic on stage. With a background in opera singing, the sensational soprano is the true star of the show, with a voice so pure, so effortless and so gentle, that it casts a spell over everyone in the room.

Mottram’s vocals perfectly compliment Joseph Alexander’s exquisitely beautiful score, which is an absolute revelation. Lifting the audience from the very first note, it places us between the fragile wings of a bat as it soars and swoops, achieving phenomenal heights before diving back to those familiar phrases that echo hauntingly throughout. At times the bat rouses an orchestral colony, carrying us gently into the swirling flock, transient and ethereal, which spirals slowly, gradually building into a hysterical crescendo. The instrumental alone, in the dark with no vocals, would be fantastic. But layered with elegant harmonies, it is nothing short of breathtaking.

This mysterious journey is as strange as it is gorgeous. Whilst the lyrics don’t seem to scan comfortably, and I would have liked to have taken some kind of purpose away from the show, it is a darkly beautiful bit of escapism that’s well worth a watch.

Grim, A New Musical is playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until Saturday 30th August. Tickets and information are available at: charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/