Been So Long

A tale of love, lust and longing set in a bar and told through soul music, Been So Long is a surprising musical.

The plot involves a love pentagon. Barman Barney longs for Simone, who just wants to hang out with pal Yvonne, who wants to pull Raymond, who three years ago stole Gil’s girl. Gil’s drive for revenge sparks a chain of events that sees some of the characters paired off and others left alone.

It’s easy to pull the threads of this apart. The ending is all but inevitable, none of the characters are convincingly fleshed out and major plot points and themes are meticulously spelled out in case you didn’t pick up on them the first three times they were hinted at.

And yet, the production is executed with such charm and energy, and each of the cast, the band and the three back-up singers (who are onstage the entire time and all sing brilliantly), are so likable and well played that it is hard not to be affected. It’s very funny, at times touching, and filled with interesting insights in the madnesses known as lust and love.

Writers Che Walker (book and lyrics) and Arthur Darvill (lyrics and music) have crafted a catchy, relevant musical. The lyrics are clever and, at times, poignant. Walker also directs, bringing a raw energy to the story.

As for the ensemble, each performer sings and plays their character well. Nice guy Barney is played by Omar Lyefook, whose running commentary and silent presence during much of the love play is wonderful, and whose vocals are superb. Arinze Kene certainly looks like a ‘player’ but handles himself in a way that you can understand why many women willingly enter into a fling. Naana Agyei-Ampadu’s Yvonne and Cat Simmons’s Simone are very believable, both as friends and as women struggling with love. And Harry Hepple’s Gil comes across well as the likeable looser.

Some people seem immediately put off by musicals, which is a shame because when done right, the combination of song and story makes for a rather compelling theatrical event. Been So Long may not have any perfect elements, but its combination of slick direction, impassioned performances and wonderful energy do in fact make for a fantastic production.