Review: Hit Machine (Soho Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A trip to Soho Theatre can promise any number of versatile shows. From cabaret to stand-up comedy to plays and musicals, with three different spaces in their Soho venue (not to mention the addition of the gorgeous Walthamstow venue) and multiple shows often playing each evening, it promises a great variety on any given day. It was with that in mind that I headed there for two shows in one evening, kicking off with the high-profile world premiere of a brand new play, boasting two huge American stars making their London stage debuts. Would Hit Machine live up to its title and find the right recipe to create a hit, or would this end up being more of a miss?

Hit Machine focuses on the reunion of two estranged brothers, Wes and Alex, whose lives have taken wildly different directions since they last met. Wes has been highly successful in his career as a music producer, while Alex has struggled to make anything of his own artistry, now dealing with a crumbling personal life to add to the mix. Unbeknownst to Alex, Wes is also struggling with the sense of being past his peak, holding on to his position and reputation by a thread, with all hopes hanging on genre-defying artist, Defy. When Alex inserts himself into a meeting between Wes and Defy, old sibling rivalries come back to the surface with childhood trauma and their demons leading to an almighty confrontation.

Written by Jonathan Caren, Hit Machine crams a lot into a relatively short space of time with the entire thing ending after a speedy 75 minutes. It is quite impressive just how much is covered with some pretty heavy themes touched upon. Power, family dynamics, facing the demons of your childhood and male violence are all present alongside a commentary on the music industry. Another theme present is the concept of truth and how this can be twisted in various ways, including how much truth can be interpreted from a song. However, it is the overarching theme of brotherhood that ties it all together with these two brothers working through a lot in a short space of time, be it their newfound maturity and how they have grown since they were children, reverting back to the mentalities of their childhood and trying to find ways to heal old wounds. It is a rollercoaster of emotions in a short space of time, and a testament to Caren’s writing.

Because of how speedy Hit Machine is, there is a worry that issues are never quite given the time or attention they deserve due to the necessity to move the story forward. This means we are left with the highlights of each in the equivalent of bullet points. While this doesn’t necessarily detract from the story itself, it does lessen the overall impact it might have had. Though we still get a cohesive and exceptionally written story, I left the theatre longing for more and would have quite happily taken another 15 minutes or so added to explore the dynamic between these two brothers even further.

Daniel Bailey’s direction equally impresses, making great use of the relatively small stage at Soho Theatre to give the illusion we are in the grandeur of Wes’ apartment. The play is at its best when it focuses on Wes and Alex, with Bailey wonderfully finding ways to highlight their continually changing dynamic. Bailey finds creative ways to highlight the tension between them and their wandering emotional states, with jealousy, a constant sense of one-upmanship and resentment buried between the love and childhood trauma that bonds them both. Bailey directs Hit Machine with a sense of creativity and flair that pays off, for the most part. My one quibble with the production is the ending. While music is a crucial part of the play, the choice to end with a performance felt slightly jarring and at odds with the more intimate and comparatively perfect ending that had just been witnessed. I understand the choice to end with the song, given it proves a catalyst to the story, but turning the story into a concert with a slightly clumsy call and response part with the audience left me leaving the theatre less satisfied than I would have had it ended with the scene prior to that.

Speaking of the music, Ben Harper and CJ Harper provide original music to Hit Machine, and the quality is pretty impressive. Watching the three characters take turns and collaborate to create music adds something distinct to the production, with sound designer and cast member Khalil Madovi responsible for additional music and lyrics. Starring as artist Defy, he brings a sense of authenticity and style to the story, changing the tone and dynamic drastically when he appears and offering a magnetic performance - though again, I much preferred his moments in the flat with the brothers as opposed to his actual performance in the finale.

The other two cast members are two huge stars from stage and screen. Josh Radnor will be best known to many as Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother, and now he returns to the stage to star as older brother and music producer, Wes. Radnor delivers a solid turn as the rather downtrodden producer, struggling to retain his place in the industry and dealing with the pressure of it all. Radnor is largely understated in the role, opting for a less-is-more approach that works for the character. The moments where he is given a chance to portray more extreme sides to the character feels even more heightened due to how restrained he is for the most part. Even through smaller choices, there is such a magnitude to Radnor’s presence as an actor that every choice lands with precision.

If Josh Radnor opts for smaller choices, Noah Galvin does the opposite as younger brother, Alex. Though both brothers have their battles, Alex doesn’t keep his cards to his chest quite like Wes does, leading to a more exaggerated and erratic portrayal. Where Radnor plays his character relatively one-note, Galvin takes this opportunity to fill in the holes (a segue to the show that follows Hit Machine at Soho Theatre each night), delivering the standout performance in doing so. Galvin is completely mesmerising as the younger brother, delivering a vulnerable and beautiful portrayal. There are moments of danger in the character, with the sense Alex is on the verge of collapse, and Galvin does a remarkable job of displaying this with subtlety and authenticity. Though both brothers are outstanding in their own right and even more so when they bring their brotherly dynamic together, it is Galvin who proves to be the biggest star in Hit Machine, dominating proceedings with his performance.

By the time Hit Machine concluded with its swansong, I felt like I had been through the wringer emotionally. It was hard to believe only 75 minutes had passed, given just how much was unpacked in that time. For its first outing, this play is in remarkably good shape though I would be interested to see how it continues to develop in the future - this show undoubtedly has all of the elements required to make a five-star show, but it is in need of the tiniest bit of fine-tuning to get where it needs to be. That said, it is still worth seeing to see what may be the birth of a big play, not to mention the rare chance to see Josh Radnor and Noah Galvin on a London stage. It might not be as perfect as you would want, but Hit Machine was still music to my ears, leaving me in no doubt that this production is a huge hit.

Hit Machine plays at Soho Theatre until 15th August. Tickets from sohotheatre.com

Photos by Bautista Araya