How Soon is Now? | Storyhouse Chester

How Soon Is Now? is an ambitious production, bringing together two intertwining stories against the backdrop of 1990s nightlife. There is undoubtedly a huge amount of talent on stage, and at times you can see exactly what the production is trying to achieve. Unfortunately, it never quite succeeds in bringing all of those elements together into a compelling whole.

There are some genuinely strong moments. The monologues are often beautifully written, particularly Spin Jim’s reflections on life, music and memory, and there is some clever and poetic use of language throughout. Darragh Cowley brings considerable energy to Spin Jim, the actor-musicians are impressive, and the soundtrack provides plenty of nostalgia for anyone who remembers the era.

Technically, the production is fairly slick. KJ's lighting is effective in creating the nightclub atmosphere, and Hannah Sibai's set makes imaginative use of the space, moving between the club, bathroom, bus stop, bar and outside areas. There are some strong visual moments.

However, the biggest problem is the story. It takes such a long time to get going and even once the various strands begin to emerge, it's difficult to understand exactly where some of them are heading or how they fit together. Jean’s story, in particular, feels unclear for much of the first act, while the decision to follow two very different experiences of a night out means that the production sometimes feels as though it is trying to tell several stories rather than one cohesive one.

The music is another example of the production perhaps trying to do too much. The choice of 90s indie classics is undoubtedly appealing, but the songs don’t always feel connected to what is happening on stage. At times, they interrupt rather than enhance the drama, leaving the piece feeling more like a play with music than a developed musical. There are moments when the soundtrack works beautifully, but the songs should have been used more selectively so that they carried greater dramatic weight.

The more serious themes - coercive control, abuse, PTSD, anxiety and the changing political and social landscape of the late 90s have the potential to give the show real emotional depth - but sadly, these moments don’t have the impact they should, and the writing doesn’t give these moments the space to develop the dramatic force they deserve. 

Perhaps the biggest frustration with How Soon Is Now? is that there is so much talent on stage and so many good ideas, that it feels as though it should have been much more successful and enjoyable than it ultimately was. 

Rather than lacking ambition, it perhaps suffers from having too much of it. It wants to be a nostalgic celebration of 90s nightlife, a story about friendship and hope, a commentary on trauma and abuse, and a piece about memory, music and the passage of time. Individually, many of those elements are interesting; but collectively, they don’t sit comfortably together.

Ultimately, How Soon Is Now? feels like a production that should have been more than it was. There were excellent performances, strong musicianship, clever use of language and some genuinely tender moments, but the story never quite gets going and the different elements don’t fully coalesce.

How Soon is Now? plays at the Storyhouse in Chester on the 06th and 07th October - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★☆☆☆ (2*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Chris Payne