The In-Between is a new fantasy musical written entirely by Laura Tisdall - a two-act production which is yet to receive any commercial backing. Therefore this original concept album is great publicity to showcase Tisdall's work, and judging by what I have heard, it ought be snapped up immediately. All of the orchestrations, original instrumental programming, recording, mixing, lyrics and book have been done by Tisdall which is no mean feat - this is one talented lady.
Having listened to the album a few times over, the amount of detail in the musical numbers is quite extraordinary and more and more layers are revealed each time. A phenomenal array of West End talent features on the recording and this certainly aids the musical production.
However, the strength is most definitely in the orchestrations, in which Tisdall is able to confidently portray the emotions and themes of the numbers. I could probably listen to a track minus the vocals and immediately get a feel of the song - a very powerful tool.
The first number is 'She's my Sister', sung brilliantly by Dianne Pilkington and Cassandra Compton (playing Alice and Flick respectively). It demonstrates the love-hate relationship between the sisters after their parents died. With Pilkington's sweet, precise vocals and Compton's distinctive raspy tones, the roles are clearly defined. It almost had a feeling of 'What is this Feeling' from Wicked in a way - slightly ironic as both have appeared in Wicked!
'Never Expect' has an almost military feel to it with Flick expressing how she will never amount to anything and being expected to be a certain way. Again this was fantastically highlighted in the orchestrations. Sabrina Aloueche, as Flick on this occasion, gives a lot of light and shade to the number and her 'We Will Rock You' fieriness really comes out in this song.
'Out of Your World' exhibits the sultry and seductive vocal tones of Daniel Boys as Guide Calicus, enticing Flick to move to a different world where she can be herself - a very believable track.
Julie Atherton portrays Alice in 'When I Was Nineteen', a song expressing a mixture of emotions. Let's face it, Atherton could sing the phonebook and sound amazing but she truly excels in ballads. I got the sense of anguish, love, resent and reflection during the three-minute number - that's a lot to get through, but she succeeds on every level.
Hadley Fraser has a remarkable range and gives a powerhouse rendition of 'Beyond the Door'. His confusion is at the forefront of the number.
Lauren Samuels sings 'Someone You Would Be Proud Of', a song of reflection and determination to do better. Samuels is a great storyteller in song and she is a massive talent who I would love to hear/see more of.
'Not Alone' is the pinnacle and climatic end of the production and is delivered in a stunning fashion by Alexia Khadime and Liam Tamne. The number has an anthemic quality to it and is a great way to round off a SENSATIONAL concept album.
The choice of songs on the album is spot on and I would absolutely love to hear the rest of the musical. Laura Tisdall should be absolutely thrilled with her achievements on this and I have no doubt that this lady is one to watch. Buy this album, you won't regret it.
The In-Between is available on CD from Dress Circle and can be downloaded from iTunes.
Photo Credit: BWW-Staff
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