★★★

“the energy truly kicks in as the quartet come together with some powerful harmonies”

Quirk (/kwəːk/): 1. A peculiar aspect of a person’s character or behaviour (noun) 2. (with reference to a person’s mouth or eyebrow) to move or twist suddenly, especially to express amusement or surprise (verb). “Love Quirks” – a new musical with music and lyrics by Seth Bisen-Hersh and book by Mark Childers – incorporates both the noun and the verb in its title. Indeed, ‘love’ is very much a fifth character in this intimate four-hander, complete with all the quirks imaginable. However, despite some genuinely funny moments, there are few twists and fewer surprises in what is essentially a song cycle rather than a fully-fledged musical.

There are eighteen numbers, spread evenly across two acts, that attempt to cover all aspects of love as experienced by four flatmates. Unrequited love is the dominant theme, but we are also offered insights and anecdotes exploring the minefield of dating, marriage, divorce, rejection, one-night-stands, sexuality, sex, romance, peer pressure and expectations. A mix of solos, duets and ensemble pieces, they are delivered with vigour and virtuosity by the cast and there are some beautifully tender moments. There is a tendency, however, to belt out the numbers; a technique that overflows into the dialogue. Moments of high emotion too often come across as mere shouting.

Flatmates Stephanie (Clodagh Greene) and Lili (Ayesha Patel) share their rented accommodation with gay best friend Ryan (Lewis Bear Brown). Although for Lili, Ryan is more of a best friend – she has harboured an unrequited crush on him since her schooldays. Ryan announces he is moving out and sublets his room to Chris (Tom Newland). Chris and Stephanie have history. They dated long ago, and Stephanie holds a bit of a grudge. Meanwhile they are both on the rebound: Stephanie is going through a divorce, and Chris is fleeing a girlfriend who cheated on him. Not wanting to be upstaged, Ryan too has his share of heartbreak. Only Lili is fancy free, although her freedom confines her in self-doubt and longing which steer her towards some dubious, drunken decisions. Basically, they are all pining for what they can’t have.

“It Never Works” – the opening number – sums this up and sets up the premise. It takes a while to warm up, but the energy truly kicks in as the quartet come together with some powerful harmonies. “Let’s Just Be Friends” continues the theme. The banter between songs verges on the inconsequential, and the characterisation lacks any real dimension. Childers’ script comprises chit chat rather than any real narrative, much of which is predictable. We know where it is going, and there are clear signposts leading us to the next song.

The songs themselves are well crafted (except that nearly all of the numbers end on the same base-note, staccato button). “Darling, I Loved You” shows Greene at her most tender in a song that subtly segues into “Who Knows Why?” during which Patel picks up the lead melody. There is a well-balanced mix of quirky solo numbers and rousing duets and ensemble pieces. Act One closes with the titular “Love Quirks”, during which we can imagine the full sound of the composer’s dream, rather than the solo piano accompaniment. Pianist/Musical Director, Tom Noyes, adds dynamic character to certain songs that are in danger of sounding just like the last. “Just Get Over It” is a surprise tango that is a lyrical delight, although director Cecilie Fray could do more with the musical staging.

There is no denying that this is a fun musical. Innovative – not really. Shallow – perhaps. Cheesy – probably. “Love Quirks” has some fine musical moments that stand alone, which is just as well as the story line is too weak to support it by itself. The fine performances from a talented cast certainly keep it from falling in on itself. A more solid framework would make this a sure-fire, quirky hit.

THE DAUGHTER OF TIME

Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“The whole thing ambles along like a Wolseley 6/90 – reliable, well-upholstered and stately in its way”

To the surprise of a modern audience, the NHS in 1950 apparently afforded a patient a spacious room, a brace of sassy nurses, use of the good stationery and endless weeks of convalescence – all for a broken leg.

Admittedly, the broken leg is attached to a bona fide hero – Scotland Yard detective Alan Grant (Rob Pomfret) who is bothered, bored and self-pitying, having acquired the injury in a failed chase.

At 50, he is staring down the barrel of an enforced retirement. What he needs is a challenge to prove his worth.

It arrives in the form of a postcard of Richard III. Is he the villain of Shakespeare’s imaginings or is he the most wronged monarch in history? Grant begins gnawing on the 400-year-old mystery, dragging in acolytes and helpers who indulge him for reasons that are never entirely clear.

In the meantime, the audience of M Kilburg Reedy’s adaptation of Josephine Tey’s classic novel has their own set of challenges.

Firstly, the staging. The bed which contains our hero is right at the back of the stage. Pomfret does some great head-and-neck acting but there are obvious audibility and distance problems. This timorous cowering becomes so pronounced that the actors appear to have a Pavlovian aversion to entering the 12-foot buffer zone at the front where most other productions would do their best work.

Secondly, there’s a lot to remember. Such is the extent of the exposition, characters end up reading from textbooks, dropping in long speeches about Plantagenet politics (where others might discuss the weather or the cricket) and pinning pictures on boards that we, the audience, cannot see.

The programme comes with a family tree which – what? – we’re supposed to learn before the curtain rises? Cue chilling flashbacks to history exams with cold sweat trickling down collective spines and key dates written in biro on shirt cuffs.

Thirdly, all this takes time. So much time that if you were to see all the plots and subplots laid out as a menu – including some Shakespearean romantic fandango – you might dispense with the minor dishes and opt for the classic main course/dessert combo and get the thing done. But writer Reedy will insist on you seeing the product of her thinking as she tussles with evident problems of staging a history lecture.

All this is not to say director Jenny Eastop’s production is not ultimately enjoyable. Time eases the last two of these problems. In the second act the questions become more focussed – did Richard III usurp the throne, and did he kill the princes in the tower? – allowing for some graspable curiosity to arise. And the problem of length, while not entirely dissolved, becomes less obdurate because the actors are earnest in their commitment to the production and reside in settings and costumes (Bob Sterrett) which are sumptuous.

Rob Pomfret as Alan Grant is solid; Rachel Pickup injects glamour into lovelorn actress Marta Hallard, inexplicably besotted with the curmudgeonly Grant; Noah Huntley has fun with closeted stage darling Nigel Templeton; and Harrison Sharpe – the Shaggy of this Scooby Doo gang – is lithe limbed and kooky as amateur investigator Brent Carradine.

Elsewhere the ensemble is curiously well-briefed about English culture and history but disguise their learning with a straight-faced charm.

The whole thing ambles along like a Wolseley 6/90 – reliable, well-upholstered and stately in its way. If time is not an issue, be assured, you will arrive at your destination eventually.

LOVE QUIRKS

The Other Palace

★★★

“the energy truly kicks in as the quartet come together with some powerful harmonies”

LOVE QUIRKS

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 28th September 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Anna Clare

Previously reviewed at this venue:

LOVE QUIRKS

LOVE QUIRKS

LOVE QUIRKS

THE DAUGHTER OF TIME

Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“The whole thing ambles along like a Wolseley 6/90 – reliable, well-upholstered and stately in its way”