London Road review: from stage to screen this is the musical of the year

Maybe it’s time to invent a new genre the black musical, says Charlotte O'Sullivan
Flawless stars: London Road has a stellar cast that includes Olivia Colman

A musical about the Ipswich prostitute killer sounds about as much fun as chemo.

I was happy to skip the 2011 National Theatre show, put together by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork, which received rave reviews (since when do I trust theatre critics?). Two songs into this movie, my misgivings melted.

London Road is flawlessly acted by Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy, among others. It’s also crammed with haunting, hilarious words. Imagine an illicit collaboration between Stephen Sondheim and Alan Bennett. It’s as if the pair lovingly incubated the same egg, then fled before it hatched.

Back in 2006, five prostitutes were found dead and a resident of London Road, Steve Wright, was arrested. Wright is not depicted in the film, instead the focus is on the impact of his crimes on the community.

Wright’s neighbours, who had always hated their area being viewed as a red-light district, enjoyed having the police around. Once Wright was behind bars, they spotted a chance to rebrand the street, and so a flower show contest followed.

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Blythe is famous for her verbatim technique — the lines in her plays come directly from interviews with real people, delivered exactly as they were spoken.

A crucial speech is delivered by the bright, likeable Julie (Colman). She says she wishes she could shake Wright’s hand for getting rid of the prostitutes, who are “better off 10ft under”. Wright, in Julie’s moral universe, cleaned up her neighbourhood and is, therefore, on the side of the angels.

Her declaration, which comes just before the flower contest, lends the festivities a spooky air. Who and what, exactly, is being celebrated?

In case you’re wondering, this never feels like an expanded play. Director Rufus Norris shoots the outside spaces with relish, combining vérité (you really feel like you’ve spent an-hour-and-a-half in Ipswich) with The Wicker Man-style strangeness.

No musical can work without catchy tunes. “You automatically think it could be him”, delivered

by two giggly teens, is especially hummable. It’s retro yet modern — it channels The Slits’ Typical Girls and Grimes’ Vanessa. These songs aren’t designed to showcase voices — they are about nervy emotion.

Hardy — as a twitchy taxi driver, a character created just for the film — has great fun with the line: “I’ve studied serial killers... It doesn’t mean I am one.”

We use the phrase “black comedy” when we want to talk about savage humour. Maybe it’s time to invent a new genre — the black musical. In the meantime, let’s celebrate a great British film that, by taking the road less travelled, has become a strong contender for musical of the year.

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