Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Jake Abraham, Lindzi Germain, Paislie Reid, Catherine Rice, Andrew Schofield, James Spofforth, Lenny Wood.
The place, the city, may have changed but the character, the soul of Liverpool is still so deeply engrained that that the River Mersey cannot be seen as anything other than an artery that feeds lifeblood and is the connection between the spirit and the heart of a community raised on memories, brought up on hard times, an identity that is unlike anything else in the country and one in which the soul is above all.
Dave Kirby’s may have been keeping one of the most wonderful of modern Liverpool plays under a secret compartment in his safe for a while but it is one that emphasis the city and its people in more ways than any other; this is no lost gem mind, this is the beauty of Lost Soul and even after nearly a decade away from the stage, its relevance to the night of the town, the people who don’t want the noise of the techno screaming down their ears like a banshee treading on hot coals, is still wonderfully clear.
We are all lost souls in search of the time that made us feel good, that cling to the ever pushed out fringes of life as we gather together in small groups or large packs to listen to the music that made us happy, that gave our lives meaning, the solitary feel is something avoided when music grabs you, whether it is Soul, Blues, Pop or Rock, we all want to belong in some form and we need to be able to hear ourselves think, let alone communicate, that expression of human union.
Dave Kirby’s superb observation of a Liverpool which can both enlighten, make happy one section of society who refuse to let go of the good times and the other part who see the world perhaps differently in the 21st Century is spot on, the seemingly baffled faces as the beat goes on and those who remember when the night was a sacred beast, when Soul was all that was required.
The cast of Lost Soul is on absolute top form and in Lindzi Germain’s Donna, a woman facing life with a husband who never let the 70s go and with a sister who cannot face the thought of getting older without some fun in her existence, the play gives the undercurrent of pathos amongst the incredible biting wit and often outrageous humour.
Lenny Wood once again catches the moment with his pace and scene stealing moments and his portrayal of the young cheeky barman is priceless.
A fantastic night of Liverpool comedy, Lost Soul is the memory of music, of what lyrical genius does for the mind and body; nobody is ever truly lost to the modern day, not whilst Dave Kirby’s soul is observing their song.
Ian D. Hall