First listen through and man, sometimes Oleksinski hits the nail on the head when describing a musical's score. I really do hear a pleasant blend of MATILDA's whimsy and DEAR EVAN HANSEN's anthemic pop ballads. Very hummable and easy on the ears, though with a tad too many slant rhymes for my liking.
The second half opens with a lively waltz in the vein of the Sherman Brothers, an ode to marmalade that I'm sure will sear into a LOT of people's heads. Act two also feels a little too fatty and I thought too much attention is paid to some of the kooky side characters. Then again, I haven't seen this live yet.
"I've Arrived" is a solid opener and I really liked the allusion to Big Ben's chime.
I was getting some "I Will Prevail" vibes from "Pretty Little Dead Things" at first, before it starts to bounce and break loose at each chorus. And the lyrics are A+++. (There's a great nod to the aforementioned MATILDA involving a clever usage of the alphabet!)
"The Rhythm of London" is... a calypso? Lively nonetheless, but I found it a bit odd. Does it make more sense in context? Feels like a 2020s "Under the Sea."
Looking forward to catching this, even if only to surrender to the epic contrapuntal moments in the final minute of each act. I hope as many of the London faces as possible come stateside.
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
Updated On: 6/16/26 at 12:15 PM