Precipice 
Rating: ★★
Venue: New Diorama, London
Cast: Max Alexander-Taylor, Holly Freeman, Isabella Marshall, Melinda Orengo and Eric Stroud

In the near present, a biomedical emergency drives a young couple to confront their own complicity in the face of impending catastrophe. Four hundred years from now, those who remain celebrate their survival, while long buried truths threaten to unravel their carefully constructed way of life. As the tides rise and the power fails, two timelines converge in a single flat, where yesterday’s mistakes become tomorrow’s reckonings. A darkly funny new musical with a thrilling electro-folk score, Precipice is a story of crisis, humanity, and hope at the edge of disaster.

For a show all about balance, Precipice seems to be a little out of equilibrium.

As a dystopian/ sci-fi fan, I went in with very high hopes for the story after reading its brief description online. However, the promise of an exciting plot with a multitude of characters across timelines fell flat when we were instead presented with a small group of (incredibly talented) actor-musicians battling with a strange and nonsensical score. Imagine the complexity of Sondheim's rhythm and timings but the standard of a Year 8 musical exam composition. 

While productions that leave themselves open to interpretation often invite a wider range of audiences, it feels like Precipice has managed the opposite, and could - ironically - do with a little more prescription before opening to the public. 

The programme states that this piece was a collaborative effort, with Creator & Director Adam Lenson saying that 'If we stop constraining the medium [of musical theatre] it can become a site for genuine exploration one where urgency and imagination are given equal room.', however it currently feels this has come at the cost of audience enjoyment, entertainment, and quality content.

Could this just be a case of too many chefs in one kitchen, or have these ideas actually all been done before and so we have run out of interesting ways to share them?

You can book tickets to see Precipice, here.

Review by Katie

**photo credit: Alex Brenner**