This article is sponsored by The Old Vic.
One of the hottest plays of the spring is winding down its run, but fear not. Londonist readers have a last chance to snag cheap tickets to Mood Music, currently playing to rave reviews at The Old Vic. For two weeks only, tickets are available for just £15 when booked here, with the code LONDONIST.
Starring Ben Chaplin and Seána Kerslake, Mood Music shows audiences the dark side of the music industry, as a young singer-songwriter and her middle-aged producer battle in court over ownership of a hit song, while each explores the relationship further in their respective therapy sessions.
Although the manipulative, controlling producer Bernard (Chaplin) may seem the obvious villain, nothing is black and white. As the play jumps between courtroom and therapist’s office and into the recording studio as Bernard and singer Cat (Kerslake) collaborate on the disputed song, the audience becomes the ultimate jury.
Cat herself is suffering with substance abuse problems stemming from a traumatic early career, and unresolved father issues, while the lawyers and therapists struggle to navigate a world they cannot possibly understand. Mood Music is a fascinating insight into an industry that relies on damaged individuals to make a product borne of collaboration, but nonetheless subjected to intellectual property rights.
As the play tells us, “the music industry isn’t about healing heartbreak and vulnerability. It’s about selling it”.
Mood Music was written by Joe Penhall, award-winning writer of Sunny Afternoon and Blue/Orange, as well as Netflix series Mindhunter, and directed by Roger Michell, the South African director of Notting Hill fame.
The two leads give universally-praised performances, while the production was given four stars out of five by the Times, Independent, Guardian and Observer, and five stars by the Financial Times.
It’s not to be missed by theatre fans, and Londonist readers can buy a ticket for just £15 until 16 June 2018. Book your tickets here, using the code LONDONIST.
