Supersonic Man, the new musical with book, music, and lyrics by Chris Burgess that has just opened at Southwark Playhouse was inspired by the 2020 Channel 4 documentary Peter: The Human Cyborg.
The documentary tells the story of scientist and robotics engineer Peter Scott-Morgan who, as well as being one half of the first gay couple in England to get married, gained prominence after being struck down with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – better known as Motor Neurone Disease (MND) – and dedicating the rest of his life to becoming, as he put it, a human cyborg; offering himself up for often groundbreaking procedures aimed at enhancing what life he had left, and pushing the technology of what was available for those who might come after him.
He and his husband also set up a foundation to campaign for better access and funding for those with the disease.
Burgess says that initially Supersonic Man was based closely on Peter’s life, but eventually became ‘loosely inspired by’ his story.
And I think that’s not only a shame, but a big mistake.
For whereas the real life Chris was a man with a brilliant mind, and an expert in robotics who, following his diagnosis, wanted to do good in the world and use the knowledge he possessed to improve the lot of others, the character of the protagonist Adam (Dylan Aiello) in Supersonic Man, is a rather ditsy hedonist. A journalist who writes trite lifestyle pieces for the gay press. And worse than that in dramatic terms, he’s almost totally passive, and seems to treat everyone he knows badly.
I found it impossible to invest my emotional capital in him and his antics, and when that happens every other little thing niggles. Such as calling the scientists ‘boffins’ (Really? In 1945, possibly. But not in 2024). Or the fact that Act Two of the rather uneven score, though credited to Chris Burgess, seems to have been written by a completely different hand, in places feeling like full-on Sondheim.
Fortunately there are some positives about the show, in the form of the five-strong cast.
Dylan Aiello as Adam, and Dominic Sullivan as Adam’s other half, Ben, battle bravely against an uneven script, but have rather more chances to shine in Act Two.
A lithe James Lowrie doubles as dance captain and provides the meat in Adam and Ben’s sexual sandwich, amongst other parts. And poor Jude St James is left to mop up the various doctors and friends that are left.
But Mali Wen Davies in a range of roles is nothing short of a powerhouse, and the fact that this show marks her professional debut is astonishing. Not only does she have a musical theatre voice to die for, but her acting and comic timing are astonishingly secure. Her performance as the obnoxious television presenter making a documentary about Adam is bravura. We will see more of her, I hope.
There’s secure musical direction from the ever reliable Aaron Clingham, and Richard Lambert’s lighting goes a long way to adding atmosphere to David Shield’s simple set.
But in spite of all this I wanted more. I wanted to actually feel emotionally engaged with the protagonist instead of wondering how he and his partner managed to have such a lifestyle on the jobs they had. I wanted to sit there glorying in the fact that this was a musical, rather than wondering why it wasn’t a straight play.
But most of all I wanted to feel the emotional journey that the piece is sadly missing. And that only comes from getting the structure right. And it grieves me to say in the case of Supersonic Man the structure still has a very long way still to go.
Director: Chris Burgess
Book, Music & Lyrics: Chris Burgess
Cast: Dylan Aiello, Dominic Sullivan, James Lowrie, Jude St James, Mali Wen Davies
Until: 3rd May 2025
Running time: 120 minutes with 1 x 20 minute interval
Photographer to credit: Louis Burgess