All the Fun of the Fair @ The Playhouse

Levi Lee owns a travelling fun fair. He’s middle-aged, a recent widower and, to add to his distress, he’s in a perpetual fight with his teenager son Jack about the wall of death, a dangerous act during which Jack’s mother died. Around Levi, the lives of the other workers of the fun fair and of a local girl whom Jack loves, intertwine. 

This relatively new musical (which debuted in the West End in 2010) is a curious succession of very well crafted scenes and cringeworthy moments, when the singers can’t quite hit their notes or the acting doesn’t flow into dancing and singing as smoothly as it could. The plot is compelling, touching, and not as cliché as it would appear at the beginning, and in the choice of its subject and characters this musical really is something rather innovative (and has one of the most singular endings ever seen on a stage). 

All the Fun of the Fair is the product of a collaboration between producer Jon Conway and stage veteran David Essex, who made his debut in musical theatre in the ‘70s and has since enjoyed a career in the show biz as rewarding as it has been varied. The musical features songs previously written by Essex, and re-arranged for the production, alongside new pieces. As it often happens when a celebrity is involved in a show, though, much of the audience’s attention was focused mainly on Essex’s character, and at times the musical seemed to be a tribute to the performer’s career rather than anything else. 

Although this musical is not the most flawless I’ve seen, and could benefit much from a few changes in the cast, it is a moving and beautifully staged piece of theatre, with exciting choreographies and catchy musical acts that you’ll keep whistling after you leave the theatre.