Overly Optimistic: ‘Sing Street’ Review

★★★

Adapting an acclaimed piece of media to another medium will always prove challenging. Sing Street, John Carney’s 2016 feature about the dire landscape of 1980s Dublin and how music can serve as escape, is a brilliant film with an excellent soundtrack that received significant critical acclaim. While entertaining, its musical adaptation doesn’t have the same power.

Sing Street follows Conor (Sheridan Townsley), a teenager taken out of his fee-paying school and sent to the rough local, run by the Christian Brotherhood. He meets Raphina (Grace Collender), a mysterious girl who hangs around the school gates, and tries to impress her with an invitation to be in his band’s music video. The only problem with this plan is that he doesn’t have a band—yet.

The cast are all strong musically—despite a few dodgy Irish accents from the ensemble—and having them playing the instruments live on stage, even when not performing as the story’s band, is a choice that helps to build up investment in the characters and their success. Townsley has a great stage presence that he increasingly leans into as the show goes on, and brother Brendan’s (Adam Hunter) solo moments give him a chance to really belt the big “I want” song of the show.

Unfortunately, while the performances of the original shows from the film have real zip to them, the numbers added for the stage tend to fall flat. It starts out strong, with ‘Everything Stops For Top Of The Pops’ an energetic opener providing effective exposition. However, Raphina’s ‘Beautiful Disguise’ feels amateurish and overly direct. ‘Outside’, too, a song focusing both on Brendan’s depression and the socioeconomic state of Dublin, lacks paciness and has a few lines that jar, feeling disingenuous.

Pace is another aspect that this production struggles with. Act one races along at first, jumping from Conor joining a new school to meeting Raphina, starting the band and writing their first song. Then, though, there’s a big pause as the band hustles off stage to change into their out-there performance clothes, filled by Brendan being wheeled around stage on a sofa to The Smiths’ ‘Please, Please, Please’. Although there’s some impressive physical work on show here by Hunter, whose movements are hypnotically lethargic, it’s both an unnecessary inclusion—we already know his emotional state—and a clear sign of vamping for time as the rest of the cast get ready.

The film is a nuanced, emotional piece. The musical, by contrast, feels like a simplification. Of course, it’s difficult to get everything across on stage compared to on screen, but with a runtime longer than its source material, it’s a little disappointing. The threat of the institution of the Christian Brotherhood doesn’t really come across, and while part of the story is the idea that music and creativity have a distinct power, everything feels a little too optimistic and as a result, slightly shallow.

That all said, there are a lot of things to love about Sing Street. As mentioned, the main characters are well-cast and compelling to watch. The relationship between the three siblings is completely believable, especially between the two brothers, as is that between Conor and manager Darren (Cameron Hogan), who really shines.

The use of a live link during music video filming, streamed at the back of the stage, is a great use of an often overused device. Seeing the homemade-ness of it all is charming, and a reminder that these characters are children—something particularly affecting whenever more unpleasant events take over.

If taken independently, this musical is an entertaining tale of the power of music to get people out of bad situations and stand up to bullying authorities, set to catchy songs and with fun 80s throwbacks. Does it compare to the film? Perhaps not. But it’s an uplifting night out.

Sing Street is playing at the Lyric Hammersmith until 23 August.

Words by Lucy Carter

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