Indigo | Leicester Curve

Indigo is a new musical that explores autism, dementia, friendship, family and second chances. With a book by Kait Kerrigan and music and lyrics by Scott Evan Davis, the musical was originally conceived by Jay Kuo, Lorenzo Thione and Scott Evan Davis. Directed by Catie Davis, the musical makes a mighty splash of colour, in this heartwarming and emotional production. 

Indigo follows three generations of women, Beverly and her husband Rick, who are adjusting their lives to accommodate Beverly's mother, Elaine, who has dementia. Beverly's 16-year old, non-speaking autistic daughter, makes an unexpected and sudden arrival back in Beverly's life, turning her world upside down. The family is supported by Emma's care worker Alicia and young neighbour Tyler. 

The musical takes a tender approach to both dementia and autism, careful to not shy away from the extremes and how it seeps into the lives of others. Davis navigates the heavy story with a steady hand, neatly weaving in the character's immediate issues with long term issues that await the characters. Each small moment is given focused time, even during more chaotic moments, allowing for audiences to fully engage with every event.

Despite the heavy subject matter, the musical chooses to also focus on community, love, connection, family and friendship, showing how characters make the conscious choice to show up. The characters are flawed, each holding their own secrets and history and struggling to be and do better, making each of the characters a fascinating subject for further reflection. Yet its the clashing of each person that makes the show so rich, focusing on people as people, rather than problems. 

The cast of six deliver a fantastic performance, with a special mention to Katie Cailean as Emma. Tania Mathurin shines as Alicia, bringing a surprising level of warmth, sense and support into the piece with a steadiness in her performance. Mathurin's gravitas becomes a symbol of calm and security, not only in the character's lives but in the show. Hugo Rolland as Tyler creates a rather lovable character that wins the audience over with his infectious energy, excitement and resilience. Rolland brings a joyful innocence and genuine friendship into the play, creating a wonderful sense of connection. 

Nuno Queimado as Rick is everything one would want from a partner and father, with a well-written character arc that hints at more. Queimado's gift of physical comedy adds to the moments of humour and light that often slip by unnoticed. Rebecca Trehearn as Beverly creates an impressively layered and contradictory performance, highlighting the human tendency to hide away what hurts the most. As the mask is slowly torn away, leaving behind a shattered woman, Trehearn's performance has the audience feeling every ounce of her pain and her joy.

Lisa Maxwell as Elaine delivers a wrenchingly passionate performance, with a fiery determination to not let her dementia limit her. Through the more gentle moments with Emma, Maxwell demonstrates an impressive range, but it's the gradual tear-inducing moments of acceptance that really make the performance so brilliant. 

Katie Cailean makes her stage debut as Emma, in an applauded authentic casting (shoutout to Olivia Laydon at Jill Green Casting), and has an excellent stage presence. Cailean draws audiences in with the smallest of shakes, neatly replicating the physicality to an impressive degree of realism. Emma is a non-speaking autistic child, yet this production provides an opportunity to share her voice through songs, and Cailean rises to the challenge, pouring her everything into the role and flooding every song with emotional depth. Cailean shines on stage, unintentionally stealing every scene. 

Evan Davis creates a strong soundtrack for the musical, allowing for each of the character's to have their own moments. Utilising songs to give Emma a moment to share her thoughts creates an intensity behind each of her songs, helped by Cailean's acting abilities. Whilst the songs may fade away after the show, each song serves its purpose during the show, holding the audience in a trance as they are whisked on varying emotional journeys. The cast are talented, amplifying the songs further, creating a blissful show for musical lovers.

The set is designed by Andrzej Goulding and becomes a wonder that just keeps giving. Goulding's set is a wooden staging with the family's furniture and blank squares to help create spacing. Through the use of video (also Goulding), the set settles into a greyish base that is set alight by the colours in Emma's mind, with distinctive strokes of colour that splashes onto the stage. In a moment of genius, at the height of family tensions, the set splits apart, with a clever nod to Emma literally being stranded alone in the middle. The show's closing design of the set is a majestic and fitting end for the show. 

Jake DeGroot and Matt Peploe (lighting and sound design respectively), have worked together to have these moments of colour and levity to come alive further, flooding the theatre and audience with the warm sensations, allowing them to resonate more with Emma. A particularly striking moment is the rainstorm that pelts down on the Emma, bringing out a truly breathtakingly impressive technical moment.

The show is heartbreakingly heart warming, with several moments of brutal honesty that will have audiences deeply touched or emotional. The highs are felt as keenly as the lows, making the show a real emotional rollercoaster. With characters that feel known to audiences and their stories that echo those around us, often slipping under the radar due to lack of representation, Indigo is a chance to broaden your own spectrum and experience the joys of being human.

Indigo plays at the Leicester Curve until Saturday 19th July 2025.

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★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Manuel Harlan