I was lucky enough to attend the first public performance of Chase The Musical. This was presented as a table read at The Other Palace, and I was left feeling super excited about this show!
I wasn’t sure what to expect having never attended a table read before; it was a simple presentation of the show, no costumes, no set, minimal choreography nevertheless it gave us a great idea of the potential of the show.
The musical tells the story of a not too distant future world where humans are almost extinct due to our own actions. A group of kids meet Chase, the first mechanical created with a soul, in an abandoned laboratory and bring him into the real world. We follow them as they set out to find his purpose in the real world and see if he can save the human race.
The story line on initial reading seemed a bit far fetched for me but it really worked in the show. I questioned a few decisions in the first act however they all became clear in the second act.
With it being presented in a small space the choreography was limited however the small snippets we did see I loved. It was a style of dance we don’t very often see in a musical theatre setting but really worked. Choreographed by Dax himself the small ensemble was flawless and with a larger group, costumes and lightning I can see this choreography being sensational on stage.
Something I loved was the opening, I can see this being very gripping on stage and a brilliant start. The song ‘Take the day’ was probably my favourite as it’s so uplifting. I enjoyed the little flashbacks and thought The Professor was cast very well, I would love to see him play the role in the future too.
The comedy in the first act was very poor compared to the comedy in the second act, it felt more forced in the first act, that’s something that needs improvement for me. Also the song ‘Lost in the crowd’ was a real miss for me, it had no importance to the story, wasn’t an overly exciting song, I don’t think it was needed. Its important to note this is a piece still in the works so things will change.
Overall I am super excited about this show, it’s something new and different. I will be following the musical on its journey to hopefully one day be on a west end theatre. You can stay up to date too, just follow @chasemusicaluk on Instagram.