Millennials
A Generation in Progress

“I don’t love you anymore but I remember the feeling. “
Lyric

Luke Bayer, Rob Madge and Hannah Lowther in Millennials (Photo: Mark Senior)

Let us be clear.  Millennials is not a musical, there is precious little plot or storyline to progress.  It is a song cycle performed by six talented professionals with a loose theme about what are the concerns of the generation that followed Generation X.  

The Studio space at the Other Palace doesn’t need reviews to increase business for their more experimental space; TikTok has done that already and I suspect that there is plenty of repeat business.  

Firstly, it doesn’t look like a theatre with Barbie shocking pink shiny paper crumpled on the walls, bean bags to sit on or in a ball pool or even a bath.  There are beach balls, slinkies and tiny rubber ducks everywhere.  The playing area is avocado shaped with the stone pit being a trampoline with a band on the higher level.  Steps decorated with avo stickers lead you down to the Millennial shrine.  Dancing spotlights introduce you to the rhythm although later they are responsible for severe lighting spill directly into the eyes of some of the audience.

Secondly, it doesn’t have the distancing of a theatre with the cast mingling with their adoring audience beforehand and inviting them to dance at moments during the show, a dream scenario for fans. 

Rob Madge in Millennials (Photo: Mark Senior)

The song cycle is by Elliot Clay.  I am suddenly finding Elliots in cast and credit lists.  Surely this can’t be the influence of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats born in the first year of Millennial births, 1981, but a tribute to Spielberg’s boy hero in E.T. of 1982?  

The harmonies are clear and sound in Clay’s songs. Luke Bayer has stage fright as he sings “Staring down the barrel of a microphone”.   “Four Little Words” is zany as rising star Rob Madge sings and dances in “Don’t Be a Dick” in toppers, multiple large safety pins and decorated tail costs. Luke and Georgina sing together with his pretty tenor and her voice about the girl and the mirror in “Masterpiece”. 

“Gen3r@tion No One”  has lyrics featuring “Me, Me Me”  the motto of the millennials when labelled by Generation X.  Georgina Onuorah’s “Remember the Feeling” shows off her outstanding voice although the sentiment is not one exclusive to Millennials.  Luke Latchman has a super rap number in “Priceless”.  “Count My Blessings” makes points about social media, “So many friends on my phone . . .  no reason to feel alone”. 

Tinivimbanashe Sibanda’s choreography needs more room than this tiny stage to see its promising merit.

Luke Bayer, Georgina Onuorah, Hannah Lowther (Photo: Mark Senior)

Well done Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills for giving London an experimental space and giving us works in progress.   

Musical Numbers

Intro

Millennials

21st Century Girl

Four Little Words

Masterpiece

Gen3r@tion No One

Some Day

Remember the Feeling

Priceless

Count my Blessings

See You

Endings

Outro

Production Notes

Millennials
Music and Lyrics by Elliot Clay

Directed by Hannah Benson

Cast

Starring:

Luke Bayer

Hiba Elchikhe

Luke Latchman

Hannah Lowther

Rob Madge

Creatives

Director: Hannah Benson

Choreographer: Tinivimbanashe Sibanda

Musical Director: Ehsaan Shivrani

Set Designer and Lighting Designer:  

Andrew Exeter

Arrangements and Music Supervision:

Nikki and Joe Davidson

Information

Running Time: 70  minutes without an interval

Booking until 4th September 2022

Some cast changes after 31st July

Address:

The Other Palace Studio

The Other Palace

12 Palace Street

London, SW1E 5JA

Box Office: 020 7592 0302

Tube: Victoria

Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge

at the 6.30pm performance at

the Other Palace Studio  on 15th July 2022