Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Songs and Stories of An Eighties Teenager
19 September 2024
⭐⭐
Opening with a haunting version of Bronski Beat's 'Smalltown Boy', it's immediately clear that new gig-theatre production 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' takes it's music seriously. With the incredibly talented Scottish musician and composer David Paul Jones at the helm, the show includes reimagined versions of some of the most beautiful songs of the 1980s.
'Song to the Siren' by Tim Buckley - a favourite in my house - follows 'Smalltown Boy.' Then over the next hour or so we hear versions of Tears for Fears pop classic 'Head over heels', Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'The Power of Love.' This is the soundtrack from my youth, and DPJ's interpretation and performance of each piece is stunning. Cellist Justyna Jablonska accompanies the cast on stage and her exquisite playing adds another level of intensity to the magnificent music. Title song 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' by The Smiths is featured of course, but anyone lured to the theatre by the title of this play may be disappointed: this is the only Morrissey / Marr track to feature, although there are two Sting / The Police tracks (King of Pain and Russians.)
'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' is not a music concert; it's a play. And the songs are interspersed with short stories performed by writer Ben Harrison that recount tales from his teenage years in the 1980's. Some of the stories are a little dark, some are funny and Harrison's performance is reminiscent of a poetry recital. However they failed to deliver the nostalgia I was looking for, and other than a few in the latter part of the show ('Knitting in Kilwinning' read by Jones, and the fabulous 'Eulogy'), they didn't hold my attention. These spoken word pieces seemed to get lost among everything else that was going on.
The fourth member of the onstage company is BSL interpreter Emery Hunter. Hunter proudly performs front and centre for the entire show and she is an absolute joy. Eager and enthusiastic, her balletic hand movements are so captivating, her face so expressive, I spent the majority of the play transfixed by her. She brings some much needed energy and joy to this production*. (It will come as no surprise to any 'alternative 80's' fans that many of the songs featured here, though undoubtedly beautiful, are rather melancholy.)
The lightning design from Simon Wilkinson is another highlight. The bright colours and expertly placed footlights bring the stage and the performers to life, and a pulsating neon audio frequency / ECG type motif on the backcloth is a cool focal point.
Although there is much I enjoyed in 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' it just didn't work for me as a cohesive piece of gig theatre. The four performers never did seem to belong together and the short stories didn't translate that well to the stage. The music selection and musical performances are superb however: if you're a fan of the bands and tracks I've mentioned, it's worth going to see this show purely to hear them done a little differently but very well.
⭐⭐
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me is at Glasgow's Tron Theatre until Saturday 21 September and then on tour. | Jump to tour listings
There will be a livestream of 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me' live from the Tron Theatre on Friday 20 September at 7.45pm.
*Note: All performances of LNIDTSLM will be BSL interpreted by the wonderful Emery Hunter.
Ben Harrison said: “I’m delighted to be returning to the stage as a performer again in the company of wonderful and trusted collaborators Scott Johnston and David Paul Jones and some exciting new artists. Delving back into my teenage years in the Eighties has been fascinating, very funny and very healing as David and I revisit our formative experiences in those years from the perspective of the present day.”
David Paul Jones said: “Ben Harrison and I have been collaborators for over twenty years, creating many theatre productions together with Grid Iron and beyond. I grew up in Ayrshire in the 1980s and fell in love with the music of Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil, a love affair that triggered my own path to a life dedicated to composing and performing music. One of my passions is re-imagining classic songs, getting under the skin of a song’s poetry and often finding a deeper, sometimes hidden, narrative. 80s music has this potential in abundance.”
📸 production photos: Pete Dibdin
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me Cast and Creatives
Stories written & performed by Ben Harrison
Eighties song reimagined & performed by David Paul Jones
Directed by Scott Johnston
Lighting Design by Simon Wilkinson
BSL performance by Emery Hunter
Cellist Justyna Jablonska
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me Tour Dates
Tron Theatre, Glasgow: 19 – 21 September
Summerhall, Edinburgh: 23 – 25 September
James Milne Institute, Findhorn Bay Arts Festival: 28 September
What else is on in Glasgow's Theatres this month: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/whats-on-glasgow-theatre-september-2024
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me review. Eighties music, play, gig theatre. Ben Harrison and David Paul Jones.
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🎟️ Disclosure: I was invited to review this show and received a complimentary ticket in exchange. Neither the venue nor show has a say in what I write. I'm completely independent and invites have no impact on my analysis or star ratings.
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