Tim Firth must have a shelf where he keeps his awards for projects such as Calendar Girls and Neville’s Island; and a bushel, under which he has been hiding his musical talent. Yet like Willy Russell ( with whom he occasionally performs as a musical duo) Firth wrote songs before he wrote plays, so it’s natural that the two should eventually fuse.
Firth’s debut musical was warmly received on its initial try-out at the Crucible studio last year, and Daniel Evans’s hugely enjoyable production is now on a national tour. The premise is simple: 13-year-old Nicky Perry has won a family camping holiday for describing her household in a writing contest; what we see is effectively a sung version of the prize-winning essay.
Every musical must justify why the characters converse in song: taking his cue from opera composers down the years, Firth employs music as the most comprehensible medium for a situation in which everyone talks at the same time. Camping holidays are no longer a a viable option for the Perry family. Older brother Matt is a monosyllabic goth who refuses to come, having married his girlfriend in a druidic ceremony; grandmother May cannot be left behind due to the onset of dementia; the hot-tub that was supposed to bring everyone closer together becomes the inspiration for a number entitled Never Marry a Man Who Puts a Bath Tub in Your Rockery.
Every note has a ring of truth: Bill Champion’s anguished cry of “Serves you right you stupid orange bastard” draws laughter of pained recognition from any dad who has attempted to pitch a tent in a downpour. Evelyn Hoskins’s sensible Nicky is a winning narrator: chances are, the way she describes her family will make it sound uncommonly close to yours as well.
• Until 18 October, then touring. Box office 0114-249 6000. Venue: Lyceum Sheffield
