Taking it’s cue from Sophie Kinsella’s novel of the same name, Sleeping Arrangements is the new musical by Chris Burgess that is currently playing at London’s long-standing Landor Theatre, just down the street from Clapham North Station.
Sleeping Arrangements is the story of a Spanish holiday let gone wrong, Deliberately double-booked by a well-meaning friend, eight people are thrown together – two husband and wife teams, a teenage son, two babies and a feisty young nanny. Unbeknownst to their current partners, two of the characters were in a steamy relationship many years ago, and that’s where the trouble starts…
Set against the surprisingly convincing exterior of a Spanish villa with a four-piece band providing accompaniment in the corner, the production is a very creditable effort. Most of the dialogue is sung, and there are lots of catchy numbers to tap your toes to – both Steven Serlin, who plays Amanda’s go-ahead husband Hugh, and Grant Neal (Chloe’s rather wet partner Philip) are fine tenors, and Adam Pettigrew’s Sam could also give the Bee Gees a run for their money with his fantastic vocal range. The ensemble numbers featuring the entire cast were particularly good, filling the theatre’s small space with a wall of sound.
The stand-out song from the show, however, has to be ‘Super Woman’ sung by Liz Pullman who plays Amanda, the mature mom of two baby twins. This dramatic and powerful piece explores her feelings of being trapped, and her longing to return to her previous life when she could power-dress and take charge.
I do have one niggle with the script – I was unconvinced by the holiday romance between nanny Jenna (Sabrina Aloueche) and Sam – nothing in the dialogue or her performance indicated that she had any interest in this awkward sixteen-year-old. Blame the original author for writing the story into a corner I guess! I also thought that the song that brings the curtain down on the show was a little bit derivative – if you know your West End musicals you’re bound to recognise echoes from Sweeney Todd’s Pretty Women in this last number, as I did.
Despite my small reservations I found Sleeping Arrangements to be an enjoyable show with some great singing and meaty acting – you won’t regret going along. It runs at the Landor Theatre until 12 May, and tickets are priced at just £18 (£16 concessions). The pub downstairs is delightful too – very funky decor with an unusual beer garden to enjoy in the interval and after the show.