Having the bought the soundtrack CD for The Most Incredible Thing earlier in the week, I was ecstatic to finally attend the show, nipping in just in time to catch it on the final day of its initial run at Sadler’s Wells. With the songs fresh in my mind as well as the praise from heaps of newspaper reviews, I had a fair inkling of what to expect. I had my favourite tracks from the CD, giving the performance a gig-like atmosphere of sorts – I’d be waiting eagerly for those best bits. For me, musically at any rate, the majority of the highlights come in the frenetic pace of the first act. It is here that the scene is set, the characters and central themes introduced and the wonderful synth/orchestra counterpoint established.
In the wondrous expanse of the Sadler’s Wells setting, the Pet Shop Boys’ creations were in their very element; ringing out clearer, louder, fuller. It’s that unmistakable live quality, that essence of now-ness that just can’t be beaten. And then of course there was the dancing and staging itself. These of course are the elements that the CD cannot provide, and they really did breathe new life into the whole experience. Parts of the soundtrack that were previously hard to grasp were finally unlocked; most notably the various ‘clock’ segments. Framed by an awe-inspiring – almost vicious – saw-like construct of paper cogs, the visual aspect of this section held the audience in rapture.
From the Metropolis-esque robotic movements of the workers to the twists and turns of Karl and Leo’s struggle to win the love of the Princess, the cast were brilliant too. They seemed effortlessly in tune with the music, details as small as their facial expressions and costumes sparking a raw energy in the performance. The Most Incredible Thing, a bold claim perhaps? But here - against all the odds - like the inner workings of Leo’s magical clock itself, everything slots together.
