Review: Your Lie in April, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London

After Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Friday ended with my first in two-in-a-row (the second being on Saturday) being based on Japanese works. 

The second, I will of course get to later, but this one was the first performance of the West End run of Your Lie in April, based on the much loved Japanese manga by Naoshi Arakawa and anime of the same name. 

And yes, I saw the very first performance. So bear in mind things may have changed. But now they have had their press night, I feel comfortable talking about it (hey, look at that, one review in which not having much time has actually been an advantage). 

I should say that I've never read the manga or seen the anime - but had the ending spoiled for me years ago....

So I did have an idea of what to expect. 

The musical has a score by Frank Wildhorn, who also wrote the score for Death Note's stage adaptation (Where is the Justice is well worth a listen). Originally, the lyrics were written in Japanese, and then after a successful run in Japan, the musical had an English translation by Rinne B Groff, Carly Robyn Green and Tracy Miller. After Death Note had a very successful concert run in London, the English translation of Your Lie in April premiered in a concert production in London last year, starring Phantom's soon-to-be Carlotta, Joanna Ampil (South Pacific) as Kōsei's Mother. 

Now, it is getting it's first ever full run outside of Japan: to the Harold Pinter Theatre, where the stage is framed in Sakura blossom. 

Your Lie in April tells the story of Kōsei Arima, a piano progidy, who wracked with guilt, hasn't been able to play since his Mother's passing. In fact, he hasn't been able to hear music at all. However, when he befriends new girl Kaori Miyazono, his outlook starts to change. 

It is essentially a story on the power of music, and how it can truly change your life 

Now, being a story centred around music, the music is both an asset and, admittedly, a flaw. Getting the flaw aspect out of the way, a lot of the songs seem very similar to each other. I have had a listen to the Japanese album just to see if I wasn't imagining it, and unfortunately, as lovely as the songs are, it's not the most memorable soundtrack. A lot of it is very calming, but a little cheesy. Full of the type of songs you'd see as on ok OP or ED of an anime. There's a time and a place for that, but when a good 80% of the material has that kind of vibe, it blurs into one a little bit. 

The one big exception for me is 4.9 Speed of Sound. That one gets you moving in your seat a bit. 

However, when the score really lets rip and Kōsei is playing piano, or we see Koari performing on her violin, that is when you get enraptured by this beautiful music. I need to make a huge shout out to Akiko Ishikawa, who performed the violin on stage for Koari's big concert moments. She is an extremely talented violinist; I'm so glad they found a way for her to truly show her gifts in this show. 

I do however, think that the book is where You Lie in April shows its potential, particularly how it discusses trauma. 

It gave the actors so space to breath life into the words and bring the characters to life 

As the lead Kōsei, Zheng Xi Yong is endearing, and has an excellent voice. However, where he really excels, is the fact he himself is a classical pianist on the level to be able to play the music Kōsei plays in his recital. I could not believe it was the same person! 

Mia Kobayashi is making her professional debut playing Kaori, the emotional heart of the show. She's got the most stunning voice - I hope she has a very bright future ahead. 

The standouts for me where Lucy Park as Kōsei's perfectionist mother, and Dean John-Wilson (Passion), who was underused as the dim-witted by big-hearted Jock, Ryota, especially as he was the source of almost all the needed funny moments in the show. And finally, Theo Oh as the young Kōsei, who was so sweet!

It will be interesting to see Your Lie in April gets a similar fan following that Bonnie & Clyde did 

Frank Wildhorn musicals tend to do that, whether they are critically acclaimed or not. Personally, I am unsure whether this will go down well with the critics or not (I tend not to read others reviews and get others opinions stuck in my head). And Your Lie in April certainly is not perfect. It may in fact be the weakest show I saw all week. However, the cheers on that first night may suggest otherwise. And I hope my words seem as though I didn't like it; I did indeed. The notes just seem a bit jumbled; they need to be allowed to truly sing.