Review: Astrid

Written by the talented duo Georgia Rawlins and Helena Fox, and directed by Kitty Beck, Astrid tells the compelling and highly original story of the first child born in space.

On their way to establish a colony on a new planet, the crew of the spaceship Mara are threatened by the dangers of outer space. Amidst a crisis that threatens the safety of their mission, Astrid must face up to challenges both to the mission and to her relationships with those she loves. The musical is a heartfelt story of humanity and life experience against the backdrop of a sci-fi plot, with skilful and emotional performances.

The cast performing on the astounding set design – from left to right: Raymond Erewunmi, Ffion Godwin, Maddie Smith, Delilah Knight and Monique Knight

The first thing that struck me upon entering the ADC auditorium was the brilliant design of Jonathan Powell’s and Anna Piper-Thompson’s set. The stage had been wonderfully transformed into the interior of the Mara with impressive intricate details – the walls had even been covered with accurate mathematical formulas! Before the show even began, I found myself already marvelling at the amazing work that had gone into it.

The script and music were both very well-written, as is to be expected from the award-winning duo. There was a nice balance between the comedy and the emotional high points, many of which were captured in masterful songs which offered insights into the minds of the characters and gave the audience the opportunity to sympathise with them.

The more lively and energetic musical numbers helped to balance the overall tone to great effect, and some of the tunes are likely to stick in your head after you leave the theatre, a testament to Rawlins’ ability as a composer. The outstanding vocals from the cast were complemented by the magnificent band conducted by Rawlins herself.

However, while the script was generally very strong, throughout the second act, I sometimes felt that the pacing was a little off, with some of the moments of highest tension feeling rushed at points and other less significant moments being too extended.

Delilah Knight as Astrid Bell

The wonderful writing was brought to life by a fantastic cast, with Delilah Knight conveying perfectly the youthful innocence and internal conflicts of the character of Astrid, as well as her progression throughout the storyline, triggered by the truths she uncovers and the losses she suffers. Maddie Smith and Chani Merrell also performed excellently as Astrid’s mother and the ship’s captain respectively.

All the characters, even the more minor ones, were written and portrayed with great skill, making it more than easy for the audience to immerse themselves in the world of the story. For me personally, Gabriel Jones’ and Rosie McLeish’s performances as the robots Turing and Lovelace truly stood out as being both highly entertaining and also endearing in their often hilarious attempts to mimic human behaviour.

Maddie Smith and Chani Merrell as Astrid’s mother Ada and the Mara’s captain Hester

Throughout the first act, however, I was left a little confused as to whether the ensemble were meant to be other human crew members or robots, this only being fully clarified by a song in the second half. Although Charlotte Dargan’s and Ffion Godwin’s choreography was overall done to a very high standard – especially impressive considering they were both also in the cast! – my doubts about the identity of the ensemble were cast by the contrast between their more naturalistic movements and the far more mechanistic dancing performed by Gabriel Jones and Rosie McLeish. I felt that this could perhaps have been extended to the ensemble members.

However, the use of the ensemble overall was another of the musical’s merits, adding to the sense of the backdrop of the large-scale mission of space colonisation against which Astrid’s own story was set. They always had a purpose in being present and never felt like they were merely there for the sake of it.

The decision to have the ensemble move set pieces such as chairs and tables on and off stage was also effective, removing the need for any blackouts by having the robots perform the tasks that they are on board the Mara to do.

To sum up, Astrid is an engaging and fun musical, and the cast and crew have done a great job to put together such a fantastic show which is undoubtedly one of the highlights on the Cambridge theatre calendar this term. Definitely not a show to be missed! 4.5/5 stars.

Astrid runs until Saturday the 6^th of October at 7:30pm at the ADC. Tickets are available here.

All images credited to Maria Woodford.

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