This stage adaptation of John Carney’s 2016 film is an exemplar of the “uplifting” musical, puppyishly so. Set in 1980s Dublin in the doldrums amid a fractious family and a classroom pop band, it seems at pains to stay bright-eyed, heartwarming, no matter the darker turns of its story.
This is its undoing, in some ways. Set with a throwback Top of the Pops soundtrack of new romantic and pop hits (Duran Duran, Blondie, A-ha, and more), it features a group of song-writing teens led by 16-year-old Conor (Sheridan Townsley), whose family’s fortunes are as low as those of recession-hit Dublin. There are his perpetually arguing parents in the background along with his depressed yet wise older brother, Brendan (Adam Hunter), and sister, Anne (Tateyana Arutura), who is under pressure to be the success of the siblings. In the foreground is the band, formed in a council-estate living room, with a motley crew of boys who want to make music to attract girls.
