You could be forgiven for glossing over Hatched, a new audio musical by Lydia Shaw and Edward Court as a Seussian story about birds. But if you have, you are missing a richly told, immersive show that not only entertains, but champions about female empowerment. Light enough for kids to enjoy, but with deeper themes interlaced for the adults to dissect.
Hatched tells the story of Rakka Island, inhabited by the free-flying brother birds and the forcedly-grounded lady birds. Only allowed to preen, care for her hatchlings, and hike up mountains to lay eggs, the repressed protagonist Fallon (Lydia Shaw) begins a fight for flight. Aiming for equality and empowerment for her fellow lady birds against the rule of Lord Zanderjay (Thomas Hewitt) and his meddling right-hand man Merapin (Edward Court). With the help of her best friend Saphy (Lizzie Wofford), an unlikely partnership with picture perfect Marnie (Gracie Lai), and her brave hatchling Flick (Sophia Lewis) - they band together as the Fluffergettes. This ignites the flame of rebellion, pitting them against despotic rule, avian warfare, and capture in the dreaded Cage.
The story of Hatched is ostensibly an allegory depicting the ongoing oppression of women that we still feel today. Written by Lydia Shaw, it deftly intertwines themes of women’s rights, suffrage, and intersectional feminism with some light-hearted whimsy. As stated at the end of each of the nine, 20-minute episodes, Hatched attempts to make female empowerment and musical theatre accessible to all. I believe it has succeeded in its mission.
As an audio musical, it relies heavily on its spritely narrator (Sophia Lewis) to set the scene and provide the all-important scenic descriptives. Speaking in rhyming couplets, the narrator weaves us through the story expertly. Interspersed between the strong voice acting and narration, Hatched’s thirteen-strong talented cast, sing a staggering twenty-seven short songs. With music and orchestrations by Edward Court and lyrics by Lydia Shaw, the roster includes a wide variety of styles. Highlights included the toe-tappingly effervescent “Once a Year”, the Hamilton-esque “Lord Zanderjay would like to say” and, haunting ballad “Invisible”. With such varying styles throughout the episodes, there are truly songs for everyone in almost each musical theatre style. It truly showcased the sheer talent of Court and Shaw’s.
Overall, I loved Hatch. So much so, I've listened to it through three times, each time discovering bits I missed previously. It has such broad appeal that it can be loved by all: young and old, novices through to the well-seasoned. With the mission to improve accessibility to musical theatre, and important story of equality and female empowerment, I think Hatched will become a favourite amongst its listeners. Its success is truly a testament to the talent of the creators, cast and production team alike.
Hatched is available on Spotify and Apple Music, with episode 1 available below, currently up to episode seven is available to the public but stay tuned each week for the next few episodes. https://www.hatchedmusical.co.uk/media
Comments