Mood Music in 250 words
Posted on 6 June 2018
Mood Music, currently playing at The Old Vic theatre in London, is a sharp new play about the power-struggle between two people working within the music industry, and the larger issue of commercialising creativity. The play is fresh and interesting, and extremely well-acted by its six-person cast, but it ultimately lacks direction.
Mood Music stood out for me as being very original. Exploring the power-dynamic between not only the leading characters but also their lawyers and therapists, the play deep-dives into the frictions and fallacies of the music industry, particularly the grey area of creative credit. I always enjoy seeing something that's 'a bit different', and Mood Music is certainly that.
This play, in particular, rests on the believability of its characters, and all six are very convincing. Seána Kerslake, playing Cat, is suitably likeable, and Ben Chaplin, playing Bernard, brings a dark but enjoyable humour to the production.
Overall, however, Mood Music feels too directionless. The premise of the play, and the points that it raises seem to go round in circles, instead of moving the storyline along. Although the tone of the play is great, it doesn't develop enough over the two acts to maintain the interest which it initially sparks.
Overall, Mood Music is a play with a sharp, fresh premise, but which lacks direction. It is still an interesting piece of theatre, but it could work better if it was more clearly going somewhere.
Mood Music is playing at The Old Vic until the 16th June.
