✩ Music & Lyrics by Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam  
✩ Book by Yusuf Islam, Rachel Wagstaff & Anders Albien

                                                ✩ Songs

                              *Peace Train (curtain call)

[...] What must be incredible for Yusuf is

to sit in the audience and watch a Cat Stevens show

and to judge his creation as a spectator, not as a performer.

Think about it, for the first time ever Yusuf can watch a Cat Stevens show.

That must give him an incredible new insight

into the inner workings of songs.  [...]

[noise11.com]

Review:

Moonshadow, Princess Theatre

PURISTS craving Yusuf Islam's distinctive voice may be

disappointed with his musical, Moonshadow.

But its repertoire of classic Cat Stevens songs will satisfy many nostalgic Baby Boomers while delight their grandchildren with its fantasy narrative and Tim Burton-esque design.

On the imaginary planet Alaylia, the inhabitants live in cold darkness, without sun or birdsong, and with only the moon and precious balls of manufactured Ember to light their lives.

Young hero Stormy, played with youthful exuberance by Gareth Keegan, embarks on a quest to find a mythical world of light and joy, leaving his childhood sweet-heart Lisa (Gemma-Ashley Kaplan).

It is a classic hero’s journey, combined with a Romeo and Juliet love story, and there are universal themes about overcoming adversity, good versus evil and light versus darkness.

However, the story is not coherent and the laboured dialogue needs slashing. The attempts at humour are feeble, the pace and cueing are slow, and the capable actors sometimes look uncomfortable.

Yusef’s original, timeless melodies and poignant lyrics provide the heart and soul and the glue for the narrative. But there are too many songs (41) and many are only fragments that do not advance the story or characters.

The first inspiring meld of song, character and narrative is Sally Bourne, as Stormy’s mother, singing Wild World as a touching, mournful farewell to her son.

An impressive cast, directed by Anders Albien, choreographed by Yvette Lee and accompanied by Stephen Amos’s orchestrations, revisits the classic tunes including Moonshadow and How Can I Tell You I Love You. Another hit Sad Lisa is sung by the warm, resonant-voiced Jolyon James as Moonshadow.

Keegan sings Can’t Keep It In as an anthem for youthful energy, Kaplan sweetly sings the mournful The First Cut Is The Deepest and the two sing Remember the Days of the Old School Yard as a celebratory duet when, after years of enforced separation, these star-crossed lovers reunite.

The final rousing choruses of Moonshadow and Morning Has Broken provide the backdrop to the finale.

The narrative of this jukebox musical is unfortunately a pale shadow of a Disney fairytale movie, so Yusuf’s music and the exuberant cast will have to carry the show.

[Herald Sun]

Moonshadow musical keeps us guessing

FANS of Cat Stevens will love it.

Critics of Yusuf Islam will find parts of it hard to stomach.

As for average punters who come with nothing more than a good time in mind, they'll get one so long as they are prepared to give themselves over to simple themes and timeless music.

The staging for Moonshadow, the musical, is deliberately cartoonish and the storyline an uncomplicated tale of good versus evil, light versus dark, star-crossed lovers and mean-spirited landlords intent on upping the rent.

Whether it tells us anything more about Yusuf, who produced the show, wrote the music and lyrics and envisioned the story, remains a moot point after the world premiere.

Certainly, he seems to be having a bit to say about himself: the dismal nature of growing up in post-war London; the self-indulgence that goes hand-on-crotch with being a pop star; the tragic silliness of the tie-dyed hippies who spent years too stoned to remember his lyrics.

Naturally, Yusuf's hero Stormy finds the light at the end. But is it a bridge too far to think the songwriter has found it in either Dubai, which he now calls home, or the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn, where he has spent most of the past two years?

At any rate, it is Yusuf's music, particularly the hits from his two mega albums of the early 1970s, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat, that speaks more loudly than the narrative crafted around them. At times this verged on shouting: so loud was the opening refrain to Remember the Days at the start of the second act that Lillian Frank leapt startled from her seat.

The staging was based on the vibrant illustrations of Turkish cartoonist Dogan Ur, which gave the production the right mix of fantasy and Far East.

Gareth Keegan, given the daunting task of belting out the best of Cat Stevens while Yusuf was in the house, seemed a little restrained in the lead role.

By contrast, there was nothing held back by his richly-bouffanted, velvet-cloaked and Zorba-dancing nemesis, played by Blake Bowden.

The best voice on stage belonged to Jolyon James in the role of Moonshadow; the only shame being he got to use it so sparingly.

Exactly who Moonshadow is, or what it is supposed to be, is no clearer having seen the musical. But then Yusuf has always liked to keep people guessing.

[The Australian]

Moonshadow review

After one of the most inscrutable marketing campaigns in recent memory, the veil is finally lifted on brand new musical Moonshadow.

Yusuf, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, has co-written the book, which weaves his mighty catalogue of hits into an original piece of fantastical mythology. Closest in style, amongst the many jukebox musicals, to Queen’s We Will Rock You, the show certainly benefits from the quality of these classic songs.

Under the supervision of music director and orchestrator Stephen Amos the music sounds superb and is a definite highlight of the production. Vocals are rich, strong and pumped out at high volume. Fans of Cats Stevens will appreciate the terrific treatment his work receives here and even casual radio listeners will recognise a significant proportion of the score.

This is, however, a musical, not a concert and unfortunately the storyline and script are not on par with the quality of the music. The premise of the plot borrows from established stories and characters but then does not know what to do with them. Our hero, ostensibly, is Stormy, a white haired youth who is locked in a Romeo and Juliet style relationship, balconies and all, with Lisa. The source of the feud between the families is so unclear that even when the issue is raised in act two the characters do not know why they are feuding.

Stormy finds himself being followed by a Moonshadow (wink wink) as he sets off on a Pippin-like quest to restore light to his planet, Alaylia. Lisa is left behind fending off the advances of the Gaston-like Pat Matthew. Stormy encounters the gleefully malicious Princess Zeena (think of the Wicked Witch of the West crossed with Katisha) who seduces Stormy with possessions in a Pleasure Island-like bid to claim his precious pendant and, somehow, claim all the light and hence claim power over the planet.

Stormy’s journey tends to drag in act one in a series of incidents, such as a Big Daddy “Rhythm of Life” type of scene, which slow the action. Then when the quest is apparently achieved quite suddenly at the end, there is no significant payoff to the long process in terms of the new light available. The cast take off their outer rags to reveal coloured tops but the salvaged painting that shows a world with sunlight remains the brightest thing on stage. And if there is an environmental allegory to the story, which is set in locations such as Blacksmog Mountain, it did not come across at all.

Princess Zeena suffers the lamest sendoff in memory for a villain when, in the midst of other various action, she is stuffed in a box. Most curious of all, when Stormy finally sings “Moonshadow” he is actually no longer being followed by a Moonshadow. And the company all join in even though they were never being followed by Moonshadow.

The magical world of Alaylia is created quite effectively in a seamless blend of constructed sets and projections. Doğan Ür’s illustrations have been incorporated into Adam Gardnir’s set designs and Nimrod Weiss’ projections. Panels above and on each side of the stage create a large canvas for the projections, which, along with Trudy Dalgleish’s fabulous lighting design, serve to create quite an immersive experience for the audience.

Director Albers Albien keeps energy high, although as a co-writer of the book he should have taken more opportunity to enhance the clarity of the story and the motivation of the characters. Yvette Lee has created smatterings of interesting choreography, constrained by the serious tone and the restrictive costumes.

Despite limited scope to demonstrate their acting range, principal cast members have a chance to shine vocally thanks to the score. As Stormy’s parents, Sally Bourne is warm and gentle, offset well by Robert Grubb as the gruff, cantankerous Mr Hojja. Bourne cherishes her act one ballad “Wild World,” which is all the more effective for its simple staging. Grubb has the well known “Father and Son,” which suits his highly expressive delivery.

Gareth Keegan stars as Stormy opposite Gemma-Ashley Kaplan as Lisa, the pair having to work doubly hard to portray a romance in which they barely have any scenes together, let touch or kiss. Keegan proves himself up to the challenge of playing a leading man, performing with gusto and confidence, and singing with a pleasant, natural tone. Kaplan sings sweetly in many a duet and is a likeable presence, impeded in her performance by playing an underwritten character with no inner voice. She demonstrates well-controlled flexibility between head and chest voice in “The First Cut is the Deepest.”

Rising tenor Blake Bowden gets some of the few laughs of the night as the vain Pat, also flexing his considerable singing power and showing himself to be a nimble dancer. Marney McQueen chews up the scenery as the outrageous Princess Zeena, placing her own brand of high camp on the malevolent role.

Strong support comes from the gruffly masculine Tony Cogin as Lisa’s father and the ever-versatile Rodney Dobson as Mr Matthew.

Most delightful of all is Jolyon James in the title character of Moonshadow. Although his make-up unfortunately brings to mind ’90s soapie villain Mr Bad, James turns in a wonderfully mellow performance as the well meaning but somewhat ineffective spirit. His voice is arguably the best matched to the style of music, and his stilt work is rather incredible.

While the overall effect may a bit far-fetched for older Cat Stevens fans coming along for the music, the attraction of those songs may win a new generation of fans, especially given the high quality of singers and musicians on board.

[Theatre People]

Moonshadow

Moonshadow is beautiful - to look at, and listen to. With 40 songs by Yusuf (Cat Stevens) one motivation for getting a ticket is for the songs alone, but they are not the end of it. Moonshadow was always going to be different.

Moonshadow is set on the planet Alaylia, where its people live in darkness and poverty. A young man Stormy (Gareth Keegan) dreams of a better life and sets out with his Moonshadow (Jolyon James), a conscience figure who strides about on stilts, on a journey to the edge of darkness. Leaving love-interest Lisa (Gemma-Ashley Kaplan), now being courted by Pat (Blake Bowden), the son of tyrannical employer Mr. Matthew (Rodney Dobson), Stormy’s quest brings him face to face with Princess Zeena (Marney McQueen), and life hangs in the balance.

Gareth Keegan conveys the highs and lows of Stormy’s rollercoaster existence with buoyant, boyish charm. His clear ringing voice is a delight and blends pleasingly with Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, whose sweet vocal in The First Cut is the Deepest is wonderfully poignant.

Blake Bowden (Patrick) and his three accomplices are wonderfully funny as they court Lisa in dance in Who’ll be my love and the merciless boy-band take-off, Crazy. Stormy’s mother (Sally Bourne) brings every parent along with her in Wild World, and his gruff father (Robert Grubb) teams wonderfully with Keegan in Father and Son, a high point.

There is nothing garish about the utilisation of light, reflection, colour, shadows, projected images, bubbles and fabric. Some set designs, such as the Whisper Woods and Deepsea Port are so picturesque they hold the show to ransom for a few moments.

Costuming is dominated by floor length garments, creating an old-world feel. Greater physical distance is implied between the genders in the choreography. Perhaps these are concessions to Muslim sensibilities.

While the music and the visual components cannot fail to impress, some dramatic moments leave the audience confused: A dead canary comes to life and flies away – is it a metaphor for hope?; Stormy’s escape from the cage is incomprehensible; one character is resurrected because of the wishes of a child yet to be born; and ‘The Spiritual Marketplace’, apparently mocking the 70s peace movement, seems irrelevant and interrupts the flow of the central narrative. As an autobiographical work, one concedes these are significant to the author, but as a piece of theatre, the audience are left in the dark (if you’ll pardon the pun).

At the close those are several brief but unmistakable references to The Holy, particularly in relation to Morning Has Broken, which has, since Cat Stevens wrote it, been included in many church hymnals. There is a homely corniness about the final ensemble that some will be unable to stomach, and the ending is certainly too good to be true, but that’s the musical’s default position. Isn’t it?

Cat Stevens fans will relish the rebirth of such wonderful songs, and will undoubtedly recall the past to mind. I find them even more beautiful and poignant in the Moonshadow orchestral arrangements. When Yusuf graced the stage last night, he can have been in no doubt that the ability to craft songs from heart, mind and soul is a gift to be cherished.

[Stage Whispers]

Moonshadow in Melbourne - Haunting

It is so hard to know what to make of last nights world premiere of Yusef/Cat Stevens musical Moonshadow. I would like to talk to you about the story but unfortunately there is no delineated plot to speak of. I would like to tell you what it's about, but at interval I was unsure, by it's conclusion I had no idea.

The script is so banal, devoid of purpose and meaning that a concert version would have been far more enjoyable. However, this was not the case and so we delve a little further. 

[broadwayWORLD]

Only if you do ‘Remember the days’

As carbon under the right conditions might form an appealing – but not always perfect – diamond, the elements of Moonshadow combine, maybe with the odd flaw, to give a production that will have a handsome sparkle for many beholders.

It is a happy circumstance that the singer/songwriter once known as Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam, had a wealth of memorable songs available when deciding to write Moonshadow with Rachel Wagstaff and Anders Albien. His back catalogue and some new additions (40 songs in total) are used to tell the story of Alaylia, a planet lit only by a moon. The residents eke out a marginal living; light and heat can only be obtained by buying ember balls from the affluent distributor Matthew & Son, also their profiteering landlords.  When there’s nothing left to pawn for embers, restless youth Stormy (Gareth Keegan) can’t contain his curiosity about legends of the land of Shamsia where the sun shines. All of this is watched by a council of “Good Shadows”, who send one of their number, Moonshadow (Jolyon James), to guide Stormy to the east where the sun was last seen to rise, in search of a less grim life, for him and his planet.

As far as performances go, everyone acquits themselves well in their singing roles. More critical audience members on the opening night may have detected the odd flat note or unappealingly nasal line, but these issues seemed to disappear as the performance bore on. From my knowledge of a number of Cat Stevens’s more popular songs, the arrangements seemed pretty much what you would expect and the musicians did justice to them throughout.

Stormy’s childhood sweetheart Lisa (Gemma-Ashley Kaplan) succeeds in capturing the emotions of a young woman pressured to secure a future for her family by marrying the wealthy Pat Matthew (Blake Bowden). Bowden throws himself into songs where Pat tries to court Lisa, (such as “Who’ll be my love”) and has fun in a boy-band inspired dance number that injected an unexpected comedic element. Stormy’s mother Layla (Sally Bourne) gives an appealing performance and the concern for the absent Stormy expressed through Layla’s duet with Lisa stands out as an arresting and authentic moment; I would have appreciated some other songs having a comparable impact. The duet certainly made the song at the end of the first act look a little underpowered by comparison.

Moonshadow delivers a high standard of production values. The ensemble are synchronised in the dance routines, something that many productions can’t seem to manage. Elements of the production worked coherently, for example, Adam Gardnir’s set design allowed for movement fluidity as the dwelling they entered rotated to show characters interacting inside.

Fantasy nerds may enjoy some train-spotting of the visual elements. The velvet costumes of Matthew & Son, and Pat Matthew’s tall ginger hair and cheesy grin were reminiscent of Dr Seuss. Scenic illustrator Dogan Ür realises evocative backdrops, and images of the character Moonshadow may nod towards elements from Japanese animation. I enjoyed the technical achievement and artistry of these, and other features, such as the projected special effects, and the life-giving energy of the ember balls transported around the village.

It is unfortunate that the story itself is not the equal of other elements of this production. There are a few gaps and unclear leaps, which isn’t going to help children follow the story particularly. Some scenes were resolved quite simply and quickly at the cost of dramatic opportunity – the “House of the half-dead” stands out on this score. James maintains an appropriate otherworldliness in his characterisation of Moonshadow, but the character isn’t given very much to do, particularly in the first act. The most head-scratching thing though is why those profiteering from the embers would have a relic of Shamsia around to be seen by the oppressed peasants.

People go to theatre for different reasons, and many people will be attracted to Moonshadow by the nostalgic appeal of the songs of Cat Stevens and personal meanings associated with them. The artistic and technical creations present certainly make this outing a more involving theatre experience than many recent commercial offerings that have settled for being concerts. At times the enhancement of positive lyrics by exuberant performances created a dizzying spectacle, and from the number of people waiting at the front of the theatre after the show it is clear that many wanted more of Yusuf’s brilliance.

If you don’t have an emotional connection with the time when Cat Stevens was big and prefer a more complete realisation of a story, perhaps Moonshadow, which is not a particularly cheap night out, will not have the same clarity for you.

[aussietheatre]

MOONSHADOW

The musical shows considerable promise

LESS than three weeks after the world premiere of An Officer and A Gentleman in Sydney comes another musical that has  taken almost a decade to reach the stage: the song-packed fantasy Moonshadow created by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Sevens) and realised by a predominantly Australian creative team, cast and crew.

Moonshadow is Yusuf's first foray into musical theatre and although the visually enchanting and tuneful show has enormous potential it is marred by an inferior script, structural weaknesses and Anders Albien's largely workmanlike and uninspired direction. The cartoonish fable centres on the young, white-haired loner Stormy (Gareth Keegan) who lives in Alaylia, the land of eternal night, and whose restless imagination is fuelled by fantasies about Shamsia, the mythical land of the lost sun. 

At the heart of the story, based partly on an Inuit rite-of-passage tale, is the question: how do you escape the shackles of tradition without denying the very things that shape and define your cultural identity? The outsider Stormy's odyssey taps into elements of Yusuf's own chameleon journey and spiritual quest while re-interpreting many of his best-known songs, including Remember The Days (Of the Old Schoolyard), Father and Son, Wild World, Who'll Be My Love, First Cut Is The Deepest, the eponymous Moonshadow and Morning Has Broken.

There's no denying that the musical is ambitious and imaginative in its ideas and scope, but it seldom takes marvel-making flight despite the efforts of a first-rate cast that includes Gemma-Ashley Kaplan, Robert Grubb, Sally Bourne, Rodney Dobson and Marney McQueen as the deliriously cruel and camp Princess Zeena. The production is a mishmash of playing styles and is not yet as confident and magical as it should be. All the ingredients are there but the book needs editing and rewriting to bring substance to the string of homilies woven throughout. 

In its current form, caricature and indulgence, not depth and originality, take precedence. There is also a sense that the actors have been left to their own devices - as resourceful and clever as that can be - rather than been afforded the leadership of a top-notch director who can attend to details and still see the forest for the trees. There are scenes that fail to coalesce dramatically and musically but Moonshadow does have the makings of being a fully-rounded, seamless collaboration and a truly transporting experience. There's certainly no shortage of talent on stage and behind the scenes.

The cast comprises talent of varying ages and experience, and the singing and musical values are excellent on the whole. Keegan has a superb voice and is engaging as Stormy yet there's a lack of nuance and dimension in his acting while he belts out many of the songs at the same intensity and pitch with mixed results. He is severely let down by the director. As Stormy's childhood sweetheart Lisa, Kaplan nicely evokes strength of mind, innocence and sensitivity, and their Act I duet How Can I Tell You is tender and harmonious, although too little is made of the moment. Kaplan's version of First Cut is The Deepest is heartfelt and poised. 

One of the most vibrant, amusingly theatrical song and dance turns belongs to Blake Bowden as Stormy's rival Pat, the son of the tyrannical factory owner who has his sights set on marrying Lisa. Bowden has a remarkably strong and agile voice, and his comic timing and buffoonery is cast from the same mould as the macho manipulator Gaston in Beauty and The Beast. It may be pure panto but Bowden's performance brings an exhilarating, much-needed lift to a musical which, by the second half, threatens to become as long, winding and arduous a road for the audience as it is for our young hero.

Throughout his quest Stormy is guided by the droll-witted, towering figure of Moonshadow, played by Joylon James, who turns out to be one of the last remaining benevolent shadows. A guardian angel of sorts, Moonshadow is only seen and heard by Stormy as he goes through any number of trials and tribulations, not least his seductive, ultimately combative, encounter with Princess Zeena, the ruler of the Zalims, the Jinn-spirits of darkness. James is in fine voice, his portrayal measured and assured.

The tale of battle-scarred families in which prejudices run deep and whose offspring dream of a better world echoes the tribal divisions and shifting allegiances of West Side Story and, of course, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet on which the Leonard Bernstein musical is based, but Act 2 is a peculiarly whimsical meld of ideas, essentially a medieval-dress cabaret meets Sondheim's Into The Woods mixed with Tim Burton and a trippy dose of the rock musical Hair. Trudy Dalgleish's lighting invests colour and dimension to the pop-up storybook world conjured in the mix of projections and designer Adam Gardnir's simple yet ingenious sets which give the wonderland a dual sense of permanence and transience. 

Two of the most visually striking and effective scenes are the spiritual marketplace with its lanterns and shadowy voids, and Princess Zeena's glass bubble kingdom in the sky in which McQueen dispenses Cleopatra-like charisma and some tough love to get her wicked way. McQueen handles it with typical gusto but the script doesn't offer her many rewards. After the earlier poignancy of the beautiful and rousing Father & Son, Stormy's coming of age and return home at the end is poorly staged, more befitting an episode of Neighbours than epic fantasy. The reunion lacks emotional impact because there is so little sense of yearning, let alone genuine surprise. The scene needs to be reworked, be it of the father and son seeing each other from a distance, then gradually moving towards one another in an act of reconciliation propelled by music not silence, uneasy acting and verbal cliches.

The climactic Morning Has Broken is almost thrown away in what should be the most lyrical, life-affirming and spirited song in the show. It comes close but if only the director had taken his cue from West Side Story and Jerome Robbins by creating a near-empty canvas on stage to suggest a vast, lyrical expanse - a better world? - in which the younger Stormy and Lisa emerge from darkness.

The reason many of Cat Stevens' songs are memorable and appealing, and have endured over the years, is that they are fluent, poetic and spare. If only Moonshadow possessed more of those qualities. Already the musical shows considerable promise. With further development, not least a sharper book and fluent direction, it could well prove a hit with audiences on Broadway and the West End. But for that to happen the musical needs looking after and for the producers to make hard decisions about what is in the best artistic interests of the show.

[STAGENOISE]