Presented by Thaddeus Buttrey

Review by Judith Neeson

Lower Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St

New musical “Who We Are Now” is giving nothing short of epic goth rock vibes and great anthems. Thaddeus Buttery’s musicality is undeniably good. His strong band of four execute every song brilliantly, as Buttery shreds excellent guitar riffs one after the other.

Ultimately, the vocalists are all on point, each one exceptionally well placed for their role. Alexander Jett embodies the lead role of “Alex” and is solidly strong; his chemistry with all other characters is formidable.

Directionally, it’s a tad clunky. Some staging choices and set design need revisiting for the development purposes of this new musical piece. All the elements are there; it simply needs tightening up across the direction.

Choreography by Rachel Steel in places works well; however, spacing at times caused some issues.

Sound problems affected some narrative moments. Unfortunately, whilst there are great musical numbers, some narrative needs more dialogue supporting it, as there are times when contextually it isn’t always clear who the characters are in that moment.

In saying this, confronting and relatable issues are plentiful throughout and are cleverly placed within the story. Personified addiction, domestic abuse and drug use lend themselves brilliantly to the key characters’ struggles. Danny Rudden is a fantastic villain, playing “Sid” as the devil ever-present on Alex’s shoulder. Along with Laura Preston’s fabulous vocals as “Sandy Ravage”, Max Middleton, playing “Vic”, becomes the personification of Alex’s drug addiction and adds real showmanship in every scene.

Beautiful moments and memorable songs are crafted throughout this new piece, and Buttery truly has an epic show on his hands. Only 4 more chances to see it. Get along quick!

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