I have never really been into musicals. My tastes in music, in all honesty, are relatively narrow. I like straight-ahead pop-rock music without the frills – without all the dancing and the over-expressiveness. Musicals, as a rule, just aren’t my style. And I’m always a little dubious when classic TV series’ or movies are adapted into musicals. I always think “How can that possibly work?” Only Fools and Horses, the classic and timeless BBC sitcom that ran for over twenty remarkable years became a musical in 2019. I was baffled. How could you possibly convert a sitcom held so dear to the hearts of millions upon millions of viewers over so many years into a musical? “Leave it alone”, I said. “Some things are best left in the past”, I said. Well, I think it’s fair to say I had to eat humble pie on that one. It is still running to rave reviews in London’s West End as I type this piece in October 2022.
Some might have had similar feelings when, in 2019, it was announced that the 1983 Bill Forsyth movie Local Hero was being adapted into a musical. It is a much-loved film and a favourite of many. It is a rather unusual film in many ways. It’s not an action movie. It’s not a thriller. Not a lot really happens in it. And yet it has a strangely compelling, off-beat charm about it. The story essentially revolves around Knox Oil and Gas executive “Mac” MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) being sent from the hustle and bustle of Knox’s Houston headquarters to the quaint Scottish village of Furness, in an attempt to negotiate the purchase of the entire area for conversion into a huge refinery. There, he discovers a curious, eccentric community and gradually falls in love with the place and its people. It is a quiet, gentile and rather touching film interspersed with tasteful humour. How could a film of such a nature possibly translate into musical form?
A notable aspect of the original film is its soundtrack. It was written by one Mark Knopfler – Dire Straits songwriter, vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire. Mark has accumulated a number of soundtrack credits down the years, but Local Hero was his first and ironically, remains perhaps his most well known. He recorded it shortly after completing work on Dire Straits’ 1982 album Love Over Gold – so this is relatively early on. Indeed, it was before Dire Straits had reached the absolute peak of their success with 1985’s colossus Brothers in Arms. But a mere four or five years into fronting the band, Mark was already keen to branch out by involving himself in a variety of different projects, hence his name was put forward to write and record the music for Local Hero. What he came up with was a soundtrack that brought real atmosphere and feel to the movie. The iconic and timeless melody of the main theme is equally as effective in its quiet form, ‘Wild Theme’ – which pops up at numerous points across the movie perfectly complimenting the beautiful setting – as it is in its all-out, full-ensemble rock form entitled ‘Going Home’, which plays over the end credits.
And it is the same man who, some 35 years later, stepped in to write a batch of all-new songs for the Local Hero musical. Whatever my prejudices towards musicals might have been, knowing the sheer quality of the work Mark has produced, particularly over the course of his solo career, was enough – I was absolutely invested right from the first announcement in 2018. What I didn’t know was how his songs would find their place in the context of a musical. He has written hundreds, possibly thousands of songs over his long career, but this is not something Mark had attempted before. Mark himself has alluded to not being a particular fan of musicals. But I felt sure he would come up with the goods. And boy, did he come up with the goods.
The Local Hero musical premiered at the The Lyceum in Edinburgh during Spring 2019 to highly enthusiastic reviews. A further run was also announced for London’s Old Vic, initially for 2019 before being pushed back to 2020 due to scheduling issues. Then the entire run was postponed due to Covid restrictions and, disappointingly, was ultimately shelved altogether, throwing the future of the Local Hero musical into some level of doubt. I was delighted, however, when it was later announced that the production would be hosted by Chichester Festival Theatre in their intimate Minerva Theatre during the Autumn of 2022. This incarnation of the production has a new director in Daniel Evans and an entirely different cast to the previous Edinburgh run. But those lucky enough to see those early performances north of the border needn’t be concerned – because the cast, musicians and crew involved in this Chichester run have absolutely nailed it in every respect.
The Minerva Theatre itself is a small 310 capacity venue. Such is its diminutive size and design that regardless of where you are seated, you are guaranteed an excellent view of proceedings. For the matinee performance I witnessed on Friday 21st October I was seated in the second row, stage left. From there the cast are virtually within touching distance. Not that I would have attempted such a thing, obviously. But you certainly feel that you are very much in the midst of the action. The set design for Local Hero is quite minimalist but more than adequate. Given its understated nature, Local Hero doesn’t require an expensive, over-the-top production design – the story and the music speak for themselves. What stage design there is, however, is very cleverly utilised. Subtle lighting on the curved stage wall beautifully represents the Northern Lights, and early in the first half it is the cast themselves who remove some of the flooring to reveal the sandy beach of Furness. And, of course, no Local Hero set could possibly be complete without the iconic red telephone box which is there in all its glory.
The show itself begins quietly in Furness with background music that will be familiar from the original movie. Shortly thereafter, we are transported to Houston, Texas and the Knox headquarters where we hear the first number, ‘A Barrel of Oil’. Immediately, you can hear the characteristics of Mark Knopfler’s music – and though the nature of the music is clearly unique to him, any lingering doubts as to how his style of writing might translate to the musical stage are immediately allayed. While ‘A Barrel of Oil’ is perhaps best described as a rock song, the following number, ‘Houston, We Have a Problem’ is a quiet and reflective song performed by Mac as he ‘flies’ to Furness, having been sent by company director Happer (Jay Villiers). The gentle humour of these opening scenes remains a consistent feature throughout the entire show absolutely delightful. And I should also highlight Gabriel Ebert’s magnificent performance as Mac – he is outstanding throughout and perfectly cast in the role.
We then find ourselves back in Furness where Mac meets Gordon, a character ably handled by Paul Higgins. Mac’s assistant Danny and marine scientist Marina (played by Peter Capaldi and Jenny Seagrove in the original movie) do not feature in this adaptation. Instead, Gordon’s partner Stella is perhaps a kind of symbiosis of both her own original character and Marina. Stella is played brilliantly by Lillie Flynn and you cannot help but fall in love with her portrayal of the character. She also sings her solo number ‘Rocks and Water’ – possibly my favourite song of this show – absolutely beautifully. It is difficult to step into the shoes of such a legendary actor as Fulton Mackay but Hilton McRae is also excellent in his role as beachcomber Ben. Indeed, the entire show is perfectly cast and they all seem to gel together superbly well. The chemistry between all of them is quite something to behold.
I should also point out how good the band is. With all the action happening on stage and the band tucked away upstairs, they are all too often overlooked but I was mightily impressed with their performance. The lead guitarist (there are two guitarists so please forgive me for not knowing which guitarist played which parts!) was distinctly Knopfler-esque, almost to an extent that you could believe Mark himself was up there playing along. From opening number ‘A Barrel of Oil’ to the iconic closing number ‘Going Home’, their performance was flawless and, combined with the superb on-stage performances, was enough to bring a tear to the eye as the show came to a conclusion. The overall sound in the theatre is clear and impressive – particularly as Happer’s helicopter arrives in the latter stages. At one point, with the beat of the rotor blades and sand flying everywhere I thought an actual chopper might come crashing through the theatre roof.
Not being a musical theatre fan, I was unsure of what to expect. I wasn’t even sure of the etiquette, even down to knowing when to applaud and when not to. But I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, helped not least because the Minerva is a wonderful, intimate venue. The musical itself is just about perfect. I have difficulty in faulting it in any way. The cast performances are all brilliant without exception, it is superbly choreographed and Mark Knopfler has created a batch of songs that accompany the story beautifully. His stamp is all over these songs. You can hear it in his melodies and his chord progressions and I can well imagine Mark himself performing them. Yet, though he has never written for a musical before, the songs seem to have translated very naturally to a theatre context. I hope that, at some point, we will be able to hear an album of this material, be it performed by Mark and his band or the cast themselves.
I really do have nothing but praise for Local Hero. It is gentle, funny, engrossing, at times touching, and though there are a few subtle deviations from the original story, it is a wonderful tribute to a much-loved classic film. It deserves every accolade it gets and one would hope that it can at some point be staged at other locations to bring it to a wider audience. I would happily sit through it multiple times and, if you can find yourself some tickets, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a delight.
Local Hero runs until 19th November 2022. Limited tickets are still available at the Chichester Festival Theatre website: https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/local-hero?fbclid=IwAR0B00D4koVJxNm1JZW1gvuhvBlP1_Wxdtli_aAuYdjXL5_XgYb2AU5nk48#tickets-61146
Mike's Musical Musings 