Review: The Clockmaker’s City (Z-Arts, Manchester)

Review by Eleanor Rose Clarke

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The stunning building that houses Z-Arts began its life as a congregational church over 100 years ago, and now hosts British Youth Music Theatre, with a fabulous cast of young people producing a brand-new musical. The Clockmaker’s City makes its debut at this Manchester venue, which specialises in providing creative outlets for young people, and is performed in full by the next generation of musical theatre talent. In a world where time is sacred to all, it seems nobody has any time to themselves. Does this production function ‘by the clock’, or does it dare to break the rules? 

Produced by British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), The Clockmaker’s City is one of six new musicals debuting across the country in 2026. Working to provide accessible musical theatre training and opportunities to young people, aged 11-21, nationally, the charity is the biggest commission of new musical theatre in the UK. Supported by Arts Council England, BYMT supports the conception, development and performance of new work and is an extremely exciting cog in the future of musical theatre. 

We find ourselves in the city of Mainspring, where productivity is paramount as the residents work by the order of the clock, which looms over their every move. The story follows two sisters, Kai and Chro, whose relationship is at stake as only one can become the city’s leader and the clock’s facilitator. Guided by their Aunt Tachyos, who has been placed in charge after her sister’s death, one sister complies and the other questions, and we sense that everything is not as functional as it first seems in the uniform city of Mainspring. Finding herself closer to understanding the origins of the Clockmaster’s will, Kai discovers her family history is more complicated than she could have known, and the story erupts into a battle of morality. The show questions the value of productivity and efficiency, and what it truly means to build a functioning community.

The Clockmaker’s City is the coming together of Yshani Perinpanayagam, Jonathan Ainscough and Caitlyn Burt, who have written a score that is engaging and carries the narrative extremely well thanks to the trio’s clear talent and experience. Facilitated by Amy Hsu’s musical direction, the score is clearly well developed and sounds wonderful performed by the band of young people. Director Natasha Harrison and choreographer Paul Smethurst utilise the space well, considering they often have a total of 38 young people on the stage at one time. The stage sometimes feels crowded, with the performers dodging out of each other’s way, but the use of movement is strong and consistently delivered with confidence by the performers.

Jason Ahn’s lighting and Amanda Mascarenhas’ costumes are extremely successful in creating an atmosphere fit for this show, which has elements of dystopia and a fantastical feel. The entire creative team are part of BYMT’s network of creative talent from across the country, and this national collaboration is expressed through the cast itself too. Being able to see a non-London-based production with a diverse cast, including talent from the Northwest, is incredibly refreshing.

This is not the first we’ve seen of Perinpanayagam and Ainscough, as the duo met in the cast of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, and there are certainly elements of that production’s parodic style within this. It is difficult to avoid mentioning The Clockmaker’s City’s obvious similarities to Wicked, from the visual elements, such as the green costumes and clockwork props, to the highly political plot, which follows two female leads, where the more agreeable one is loved by the people, and the other is ostracised for speaking out. Not to mention the echoing announcements made by Tachyos and her Second Hand, which are closely reminiscent of Madame Morrible in Wicked. This does not distract too much from the show’s unique elements, as it still carries a sense of identity with some plot elements that have potential to be developed to strengthen its individuality. As the show continues to develop, we can hope it will only steer away from the likeness, finding its own voice.

The cast of young people are without a shadow of a doubt the future of musical theatre; with performers from both across the UK and local to Manchester, this mix of talent is an honour to watch. The score is extremely complex and often challenging at times, but this does not intimidate the brilliant cast. The songs aren’t afraid of quickly morphing into a new melody or reaching a high note. The opening number and subsequent reprises are particularly memorable in their repetitive listing of the city’s schedule, and we found ourselves singing phrases such as, “at nine forty-five, my baguettes arrive”, on the drive home.

The cast deliver every song with confidence, and the performance of every young person is impressive. As an ensemble, they understand the piece, and it’s a delight to see how much they love being on stage. Highlight performances come from Lile McGrath as Kai and Molly Loveday as Chro, whose chemistry as sisters is electric and harmonies are utterly gorgeous, especially in their duet towards the start of the show. Hattie Wisbey is captivating as the commanding Tachyos, with a unique maturity on-stage, making it completely believable that she can convince Mainspring of her lies.

The show’s commentary on productivity and efficiency is incredibly relevant to the society we live in, and, with these clear allegorical elements, there is no doubt that the production is unafraid to be political and bold in its ideas. What BYMT succeeds in by producing this show is allowing a future generation of people to voice their critiques on a world in which they are going to one day be the leaders of. A primary strength of theatre as an art form is its ability to introduce young people to complex political ideas in a way that is accessible and enjoyable, and The Clockmaker’s City is the perfect production to do this. 

There is clearly a lot of depth to the backstory behind Mainspring, with some exploration into the Clockmaker’s identity, but more exploration would allow a greater understanding and a more rounded story. The 1 hour and 20 minutes runtime does well to capture this complex world, but this show would certainly benefit from further development. Being an early-stage musical, hopefully that is exactly what this show will get. It is refreshing to see a new musical performed by new talent, which may not be perfect, but has all the right elements to be one day. This production is a reminder that the process of developing a musical is a vital part of creating a real success, and facilitating this by providing opportunities for young people to perform may be the most meaningful way to do this. 

If you are invested in the future of musical theatre, be sure to catch The Clockmaker’s City or another of BYMT’s productions this year, including Technical Difficulties in Hull and Sea Change in Birmingham.

The Clockmaker’s City is playing at Z-Arts in Manchester until 2^nd August. Get tickets at: https://www.z-arts.org/events/the-clockmakers-city/#show-times