Alan Turing, A Musical Biography has been in development since 2021 and has since completed two stints at the Edinburgh Fringe. Following its sell out performances and early successes, the piece moved to London in order to be adapted further. The latest incarnation of the show is being presented at London’s Riverside Studios. 

Alan Turing was a visionary from an early age and a pioneer throughout his life. Perhaps most well known for his work deciphering encrypted German communication during World War Two, he altered the course of history. The musical biography covers Alan’s life in its entirety from age nine right through to his suicide at 41 years old. 

The piece has been on quite the journey with several different versions of the musical already tried and tested. In listening to audience and reviewers feedback this version has seemingly had quite the overhaul. Previously using Alan’s own letters to narrate the script, the musical now boasts a brand new revamped script by Joan Greening. There are so many moments throughout the script that need further adaptation in order for the audience to fully emotionally connect with the story and characters. 

The one act 80 minute musical doesn’t fully allow us to  emote with the characters as it often feels like we are rushing through the story. Alan had such a complex life and interesting story it almost needs another act to fully delve into the story and create a greater emotional bond with the character. It is commendable how much of Alan’s life is fitted into the limited time however.

Key moments throughout the musical are almost it seems interrupted by music coming in disjointed with no real addition to the story. There are plenty of songs to fit into the limited time (score by Joel Goodman) and additional dialogue would be beneficial in between songs so the audience can fully distinguish and enjoy each song on its own merit. Each song did sonically have an essence of being set at that time giving the score authenticity.

Riverside studio boasts such an adaptable space and the cast cover every inch of the small but compact stage. Adorned with desks, easels and paperwork which allowed the piece to seamlessly move us from settings such as Alan’s school to his office and beyond. The lighting design (Rob Dyer) was a highlight of the piece adding layers to the story and impacting throughout once again reiterating the time of the piece.

The production boasts a cast of just two and they are tasked with the difficult job of keeping us captivated throughout. Joe Bishop’s Alan Turing is initially tentative vocally and figuratively however he really grew into role as the performance progressed. Bishop does a considerable job at portraying Turing with very little time off stage only to change costume. Zara Cooke plays a multitude of roles from Alan’s mother to Joan Clarke who was engaged to Turing. Cooke is clearly multi talented and moved between characters seamlessly displaying a great vocal performance. The character of Joan Clarke is perhaps where Cooke shines most playing the intelligent and quirky love interest of Turing. Each character (barring Turing) needs the extra time to be fully developed as we only seem to see a snapshot of each. 

New musicals should be championed as much as possible and Early Morning Productions deserve massive credit for highlighting this story to a wider audience. Turing is known widely for being prosecuted as a homosexual at a time when it was illegal yet it is only briefly touched upon. The musical biography attempts to fully realise other parts of his life and make his story more accessible to many. Being the opening night there were a few sound issues which is to be expected and hopefully they can sort these out for the rest of its run.

In an attempt to celebrate the extraordinary life that Alan Turing had is admirable although it isn’t quite fully there yet, it’s certainly on the right trajectory. There is work to be done no doubt about it but after several versions of the show the creators will need to look at what is working and what isn’t. If you want to see a show that is a little bit different, Alan Turing A Musical Biography could just be the one for you. 

★★

*Reviewed for The Stagey Page. Gifted ticket in exchange for an honest review.

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Photography by Clive Holland.