Reviewed by Natalie Low Last Night is a musical comedy about 2 employees on the day after their staff Christmas party. David works in the finance department – he’s nerdy, and passionate about tabletop games. He has a crush on Emma, and the story begins with him entering the office on a high from last night’s Christmas party because Emma had kissed him. Emma then enters without any recollection of the kiss since she had been so blackout drunk. They both find themselves as the only employees working on Christmas Eve, and David tries hard to remind Emma of what happened the night before. While the storyline is not original, the music is. As David and Emma sing their way through their relationship woes, amongst other problems they face, the music is adorable, fun, and catchy. They effectively create a song about a Settlers of Catan-inspired tabletop game (“The Lights of Magic”), and a song about Microsoft Excel (“Captain Excellent”). The music and lyrics are thoroughly cheeky, enjoyable, and showcases the writer’s knowledge and effort in their research. The set is simple – with 2 tables and chairs resembling an office, with a TV screen in between the 2 of them. The TV screen is effective, providing moments of comedy through the show. For example, in “Song #4”, David is trying to send emails to Emma to remind her of the Christmas party, and he sends through photos. The TV screen then showcases the email exchanges, along with the photos. It adds another layer to the performance, and provides more context for the audience. The screen also gets used in “Captain Excellent” and we get to watch David flex his Microsoft Excel skills. As you watch the spreadsheet move through the song, the more impressed you get. One does wish the screen does get used a little more through the show. The props are impressive in this show – particularly when David is introducing to Emma this new board game, he has created called The Lights of Magic. Anything he introduces is physically manifested, and it does showcase the efforts of this team. The 2 actors hold their own very well and bring an equal amount of comedy and drama between them. James Sigwick plays David, and he is lovable, yet cheeky, and you sympathise and cheer for him as he continues his attempts to woo Emma. Emma’s performer showcases her journey effectively. You feel sorry for her as she sings about her terrible past relationships (“Something Different), and anxiously wait as she recognises that the one meant for them has been in front of them this whole time (“I Think I Remember”), you learn to adore Emma throughout. The 2 actors also play other various characters throughout, and they effectively change their voices in song to showcase that as well. As for holding a tune, there are moments where perhaps their voices are a little shaky, and do not reach the notes as effectively. As the show relies on recorded music tracks, it meant that the actors had to stick to the music strictly, not really allowing time for emotions to set in during the actual songs. For an hour-long show, there is quite a lot of songs to get through – 11 in total. There are moments where it felt like the audience doesn’t have time to breathe before there’s another song starting. A lovely romantic Christmas-themed comedy musical, Last Night is a thoroughly enjoyable watch.
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