John and Elizabeth Godber’s Ruby and the Vinyl first appeared in a shorter form in 2016, touring libraries in East Riding and making an appearance at that year’s Edinburgh Festval. Now, expanded into a two-act version, the effect is like having a little too much marmalade for one slice of toast and deciding to spread it rather thinly over two.
That said, it’s very pleasant marmalade – extremely sweet, but with just the right amount of acidic bite to cut tartly through the sugar. This is storytelling with songs rather than musical theatre, and it sets out its stall in an opening number ‘The Ballad of Lillie and Tom’. Lillie and Tom are two students (possibly) who meet in a pop-up record shop and begin a tentative relationship. Their rapport develops out of a shared love of similar musical nostalgia and a habit of binge-watching series on Netflix. In fact they spend so much time together that Lillie can’t quite figure out why Tom isn’t as concerned about missing lectures at Uni as much as she is, and the lies soon rise to the surface.
Godber’s skill in making a play out of everyday scenarios using simple narrative and believable dialogue is showcased well in the piece, and the performances are engaging. Millie Gaston and George Reid play Lille and Tom, and they’re so well invested in the tale that it’s hard not to be captivated. Ruby Macintosh, who has written the songs for the show, gives both vocal and instrumental accompaniment as Ruby, the owner of the pop-up that brings the three together.
There’s genuine warmth in everything here, in the catchy music, the cheerful performances and the richly lit gig-style staging, and even if the basic material might be lacking in depth, it all adds up to 100 feelgood minutes of escapism that has the audience tapping their feet and leaving the theatre with a smile.
Star Rating: Three Stars
The cast of Ruby and the Vinyl (image credit not supplied)
This review was originally written for and published by Musical Theatre Review
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