Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story - Lyric Theatre

Thanks Mark. I’d definitely say GUSU is worth a punt with the TT rush option if you want to give it a go for this one. There has definitely been really good rush seats available for this one. 

Strange how few reviews are up for this one. Figured I share my (admittedly) strong feelings.


Get Up, Stand Up! @ The Lyric Theatre (17 October 2021 Evening Performance)

It was a spur of the moment decision to snag a ticket to a late preview performance of Get Up, Stand Up!, the new Bob Marley jukebox musical. I’m not intimately familiar with Marley’s story (and am rarely thrilled by bio-musicals regardless of the subject), but figured that at the very least, it would be an enjoyable way to learn about the legend and listen to some good tunes. Woof.

The show starts off with a bizarre and unexplained monologue from a DJ trying to rile up the crowd from a repurposed box in the stalls. Imbuing some energy into my Sunday evening audience proved a challenge. I blame the awkward transitions and lighting cues that bring the show to a lethargic start. We never see or hear from this man again. Next, the cast enters one-by-one reciting their names as well as the roles they will be playing. Is this establishing the company as an ensemble that will collectively tell this story? Are we meant to understand the piece as meta-theatrical and self-aware? Should we resist suspending our disbelief that Bob Marley is actually onstage in front of us? I don’t know. That’s the last we see of that concept, as we move swiftly through a disoriented bit of music before the narrative finally begins.

I think this best illustrates my problem with the show. There are lots of ideas floating around, some sound, a few wildly misjudged, but none met with any commitment. Lee Hall’s libretto is piecemeal and unfocused. Disjointed scenes discuss various aspects of Marley’s life (upbringing, infidelities, politics, health problems, and navigation of the music industry) without a strong through line to connect the dots. It’s unclear what story is being told, and therefore the characters are difficult to invest in. Clint Dyer’s direction is all over the place; static, emotionally vacant book scenes are interspersed with loose, weakly constructed musical numbers. The transitions between are largely nonexistent, making it difficult to tell when the characters are singing as themselves and when they are suddenly in a concert setting. A startling lack of musical buttons makes it equally hard to know when to applaud. Frankly, the whole flow of the show is wet. The second act features a series of theatrical devices that left me totally baffled. Ghosts, flashbacks, strange sound effects, BLM footage, and the momentary appearance of Bob Marley triplets had me wondering just how much weed was being smoked during tech. None of these ideas are revisited, and very few of them make any sense within the larger context of the production.

On a positive note, two very strong central performances provide moments of reprieve. Gabrielle Brooks brings the house down with a rousing “No Woman No Cry”, and Arinzé Kene takes on the titular role with confidence, enthusiasm, and reverence. His work shines most in “Redemption Song” when the rest of the production is put on mute, Kene placed downstage-centre to deliver a tender rendition that has the whole crowd singing along. For a few minutes, there is a real synergy between the stunning music, eager audience, and simple storytelling. It’s a great shame that in the rest of the show, such moments are rare.

Agreed. Really have enjoyed reading your very considered thoughts, both here on on other shows. Nice to have them here! 

Really appreciate the kind words. More to come. Cheers!

Pubs are too noisy for conversations, so it's a lot easier in the theatre?

Definitely more to this as this is the first I’ve heard of it and they have been having quite a lot of “cast illness” lately

But you would think his cast mates would post something about on there socials as most claim that he is their friend or am I just looking to far into it

They have.

http://instagram.com/p/CakaKttoXgN

I think that it's awful from the producers' part that they didn't announce his departure, I only found out a couple of weeks ago that he wasn't in the show anymore and I really wanted to see him in it.

West End Understudies shared it before MD started...Shenton just behind the times.

I think they were waiting for new photos to unveil the new Bob. Odd not to announce it before though. 

Surprised at this one, thought it was selling pretty well. Will do very well on tour I imagine, and it's a nice long closing period so they can hopefully do some bumper business to the end of their run.

It clearly hasn't been a show of much interest to Board members here given the lack of posts on this thread...

Finishing run after Christmas. Not sure if it has been announced officially.