Departure Lounge – Previewed
Laura Brown is put in mind of Club 18-30 in a LIPA led production at the Unity Theatre…
An airport waiting lounge is never a particularly happy place. You’ll note they didn’t film the opening sequence from Love, Actually there. Nooo. Too many angry irritated families anxiously checking screens and waiting for flights. Drunks screaming “the holiday starts now, I’m having a pint” even though it’s 7am. There’s not enough entertainment and the only nourishment available is far too high in alcohol, sugar and bad fats. The entire place is a recipe for disaster.
Even worse, you notice out of the corner of your eye a group of English lads. Or should I say LADS? Talking birds and beer, you wish you’d spent more time learning Spanish so you could pass yourself off as a local. This is the stereotype Departure Lounge looks to scupper.
Written by Dougal Irvine and delivered by InSTEP Theatre at the Unity Theatre, the production boasts a LIPA educated team. The musical stars four teenagers, Jordan, Pete, Ross and JB, heading back home after a week in Malaga. They have the usual sunstroke, stories of girls and tall-tales to tell. But as ever, talking too much can hurl you into a world of trouble, as the four of them are about to find out.
That’s going to be one long flight home.
With Instep’s education, you expect they’ll be good at getting star quality from their cast of four, because it’s on those the success of the piece depends. A few songs have made their way onto YouTube and there’s definitely a cheeky chappy vibe, with a little humour. Great characterization with good strong wit, it’s the kind of thing Liverpool audiences expect from the Royal Court, and it fills the seats there. Reviews from earlier in the run cite the fantastic song and dance numbers which is the cornerstone of any great musical. If you can’t afford to spend a night on the pop, better to be able to watch four lads recovering from it.
Laura Brown
Departure Lounge opens at Unity Theatre Wednesday 1st to Saturday 4th February
