Birmingham writer and composer Adrian Kimberlin debuted his new, original musical ‘After This Plane Has Landed’ in Moseley this weekend before it lands at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we were lucky enough to grab tickets.
“Following the success of my previous show, ‘The Stars That Remain’ which requires a cast of eleven, I was keen to write a more compact two-hander musical ‘dramedy’ based on real events”.
Adrian Kimberlin, Writer and Composer
The Play’s Truthful Foundation
Kimberlin’s new show is based on the real-life stories of John McCarthy, a journalist kidnapped in war-torn Beirut, and his partner, Jill Morrell, who campaigned vigorously for his release. Kimberlin seeks to unpick the truth of their story, beyond the headlines which gripped the British public in 1986.
‘After This Plane Has Landed’ retells Jill McCarthy’s attempts to raise awareness of her partner’s incarceration, and the formation of the campaign group ‘The Friends of John McCarthy’. A victim of government inaction, John remained a hostage for more than five years, and their desperate battle for his liberation culminated in a joyous reunion.
However, the couple were then subjected to a torrent of media interest and the intense pressures of the spotlight took a toll on their relationship, leading to their separation in 1994. Kimberlin’s production is therefore a fascinating insight into the story beyond the fairy-tale ending envisioned by an enthralled public.
“I was really drawn to the inspirational stories of Jill Morrell and John McCarthy, which I remembered quite vividly. I think people of a particular generation will also recall events of the time though not necessarily be aware of ‘what happened next’”
Adrian Kimberlin, Writer and Composer
Kimberlin reflects: “Much of the subject matter is specific and remarkable but universal themes of love and separation, reunion and beyond will chime, I believe, with a younger audience and indeed resonate with everybody, not just aficionados of musicals!”
The Performance
We caught the matinee performance of ‘After This Plane Has Landed’, on Saturday 17th June, and were delighted to see a large audience arrive at the intimate venue.
The play opened with Jill (Claire Russell) and John (Benedict Powell) on the tube, reminiscent of a train ride they took from Hammersmith to King’s Cross in 2009 after recording ‘The Reunion’, a programme for BBC Radio 4 about the hostage crisis in Beirut. The tinny echoes of the train announcements ring out throughout the play, driving the action forwards and serving as a constant reminder that for all their battles to be reunited, the pair’s story culminates in a brief train journey and a return to their individual lives.
‘After This Plane Has Landed’ certainly deserves its ‘dramedy’ label. It is a delightful metatheatrical production, unafraid to draw attention to its unconventionally brief duration and surprising musicality with comedic back-and-forths between McCarthy and Morrell.
The pair quickly establish the scene, background and their relationship, and the combination of Kimberlin’s witty writing and the easy chemistry of the actors quickly immerses the audience into their world. Whether you watched the story unfold in the papers, or have never heard of McCarthy and Morrell, the play leaves nobody behind.
Impressively, the musical never feels rushed – the swift pace is balanced with moments of pause, and beautiful musical numbers both progress the plot and create moments of deliberate reflection. The action does not stop for applause, an effective methodology, and this only made the eruption of the packed house all the more satisfying as the play came to an end.
The poignancy of McCarthy and Morrell’s experiences during his imprisonment are certainly not lost, but the latter half of the play shines a new light on their life in the aftermath of their reunion. We see John, happily married with a daughter, and Jill, who went on to campaign against other miscarriages of justice, including the wrongfully imprisoned Bridgewater Four. Most importantly, we see a pair of normal, human people, with vast and complex lives that span beyond the fairy-tale headlines.
Both Claire Russell and Benedict Powell put on spectacular performances. Powell charmed with a dynamic portrayal of McCarthy, with real highs and lows of emotion underpinned by an ineffable spirit. There was real joy in his squashing of mosquitoes, and the entire audience felt hope amongst the horror. Russell’s powerful vocals created some incredibly moving moments of pathos, and presented Jill Morrell as strong and driven in the way she deserves to be portrayed; not just the woman who waited, but the woman who acted.
‘After This Plane Has Landed’ is a story of two people, unfairly thrown into an unimaginable situation, and left imprisoned by their experiences. While the world moved on, John remained chained to a wall, maddened by mosquitoes and the crackle of an untuned radio, subjected to countless beatings and terrors. While the Berlin Wall fell, and Thatcher’s government toppled, Jill Morrell had to be steadfast and ceaseless. She could not afford to let her then-fiancé slip from public consciousness, and in doing so, sacrificed her career and her identity, typecasted as ‘the woman who waits’.
After a ferocious and invasive media presence snapped up every minute of their rekindling, it became abundantly clear that they could not settle into this new version of life. Time had changed them both, and Kimberlin’s production is a refreshing recharacterisation of the pair as human beings.
The Productions
The play opens at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on the 4th August, at Surgeons’ Hall, and will run until the 26th August (excluding Sunday 13th). The Birmingham pop-up is running at The Dark Horse pub in Moseley from Thursday 15th June – Sunday 18th June, with an additional show at the Old Joint Stock Theatre on 25th July. Information and tickets for the final Birmingham show are available here. The show is produced by Deborah Harries and Exit Productions, in association with Rebecca Jones-Owen. The play is directed by Alan Magor, and the cast includes Birmingham-based actor Benedict Powell, and Claire Russell.
Jones-Owen is a Birmingham promoter, who was keen to stage the preview shows in The Dark Horse after her sold-out ‘pub theatre’ success last summer when Saltire Sky Theatre Company put on performances of the award-winning ‘1902’ in Moseley pubs.
She reports: “The response was amazing, and we sold out. I’ve been looking for another play to follow up on this and was very excited when Adrian Kimberlin agreed to preview his next Edinburgh show at The Dark Horse. I know many people would love to experience the Fringe in Edinburgh so I’m hoping that we can bring a little slice of the festival vibe to Birmingham.”
Rebecca goes on to note that “if you are not a regular theatre-goer, this kind of theatre might appeal as we are sticking to Edinburgh Festival Fringe protocol and all productions will be an hour or less…. and you can drink!”
There was certainly a great deal of charm to the simple staging and intimate setting in The Dark Horse pub. We began our afternoon with a relaxing drink at the bar downstairs, before heading upstairs to the venue, where another functioning bar was open, and tea and refreshments were also provided.
The pub was the perfect environment, with the small space inviting the audience to sit up close to the action, giving the play a very personal feel, congruent with the obvious takeaway that Morrell and McCarthy were brilliant, but ordinary people. Simultaneously, the non-traditional setting has a great deal of appeal to those who do not frequent the theatre scene and worked incredibly well with the cheeky quips from the cast about the lack of arts council funding for the play.
The pub theatre scene is popular in London, and Jones-Owens is keen to start a similar trend here in the second city, reflecting that reading about a pub in Glasgow who put on a new lunchtime theatre production every week, dubbing it ‘a play, a pie and a pint’, gave her the kick she needed to try and get something off the ground here. Moseley is renowned for its fantastic pubs, and the success of ‘After This Plane Has Landed’ will likely encourage similar theatrical endeavours in the area.
The final show in Birmingham is set to be fantastic. If you haven’t managed to catch ‘After This Plane Has Landed’ in Birmingham, do watch out for its debut in Edinburgh. The show opens in August, which will mark the 32nd anniversary of McCarthy’s release, and will pay tribute to the 558 journalists who are currently detained around the globe. A beautiful dramatisation of intimate human relationships, and a commentary on unjust political incarcerations, Kimberlin’s show is a must-see.
Final Verdict – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This show offered everything and more, which is why we’ve given ‘After This Plane Has Landed’ five stars!
If you’re out and about in Moseley or the wider Birmingham area, keep an eye out for future rare gems of pub theatre like this one – we’re delighted they’ve made their way to Birmingham, and we hope that pub theatre is here to stay.
