Indigo

 Curve, Leicester

2^nd July, 2025

“These colors are new”

How much of someone’s inner world do we overlook? How much of our own truths do we prefer to bury into our subconscious – or at least try? These are some of the questions at the heart of Indigo, Scott Evan Davis’ and Kait Kerrigan’s musical conceived by Jay Kuo, Lorenzo Thione and Davis. Whilst that stalwart of British musicals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, plays next door in the main house, I’m pleased to say that in Curve’s studio is a formally innovative, refreshingly colourful and superbly performed new American musical receiving its UK premiere. Three women, all different generations of a fractured family, are suddenly brought together by their various circumstances. Beverly (Rebecca Trehearn) and her husband brace for chaos when her mother is diagnosed with dementia and moves in with them. What they aren’t prepared for is Beverly’s 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship – and who is on the autism spectrum and non-speaking –  coming back into her life. The result is an ambitious work which shines a light on characters’ inner lives and the different ways families can (fail to) communicate.

 

What’s thrillingly unique about musicals is they use song to give voice to characters and reveal truths and emotions that perhaps wouldn’t be divulged in dialogue. What’s striking about Indigo is that it gives a voice to a non-speaking autistic teenager whose dad suddenly dies. So while others can’t initially understand Emma, we experience parts of the show, including the brilliant opening song ‘Color of Home’ through her mind. In ‘Somewhere in the Gray’, we hear the anxiety and confusion over her newfound position of being in the care of a mum who’s denied her existence for years: ‘I’m forgotten now and pushed aside/ Drifting at sea/ Who will see me?’. Faced with the possibility of being thrown into a broken care system, she reaches out to her maternal grandmother Elaine (Lisa Maxwell) who’s been seeing her behind Beverly’s back for some time. Whilst Elaine is struggling herself to make sense of the world due to her dementia diagnosis that she’s unable to accept, the two share a different perspective on the world which gives them both confidence to move forward and the ability to communicate and connect in their own way. She also finds a kindred spirit in Tyler (Hugo Rolland) who introduces Emma to comic books, inviting the idea that her autism is her superpower. Underscored by colour, a recurring motif in Indigo, comic books’ accessible, vivid and fast-paced style reflect the vividness of the blending of senses common with synaesthesia, a neurological condition where Emma experiences colours as emotions, people and places.

Catie Davis’ production cohesively brings together the various creative elements so that the show’s design cleverly complements and enhances Davis’ score and thematic elements of Kerrigan’s book. Andrzej Goulding’s set and video design features a series of canvases which animate with Emma’s paintings, further sumptuously lit by Jake DeGroot. Together it’s a mix of texture, colour and stagecraft that’s visually appealing and also appropriate to the story. For instance, when Elaine and Emma take the keys of Beverly’s Car during ‘Just Drive’, the living room literally splits in two, giving space for the plot and characters to develop.

Scott Evan Davis is an original song writing talent to watch. His music and lyrics at times reminded me of Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Kimberly Akimbo), using rising melodies to infuse music with human emotion to express what is hidden beneath the surface. There’s great versatility in his score too, from the poignant, Jodi Mitchell-esque ‘Out of the Blue’ to more humorous numbers like Rick’s ‘It’s Been a Day’, in which he recalls spending the day ‘Ubering with Dwayne’ who then offered him cocaine whilst looking for the missing Elaine.

Aided by a top-drawer cast, Indigo doesn’t shy away from or dumb down complex issues. Whilst I found the ending a little pat, Kerrigan's book strays from being soapy. Trehearn (who was sensational as the titular plucky go-getter in Sweet Charity at Nottingham Playhouse in 2018) rises to the challenge of bringing together the different emotional and plot strands. Maxwell’s sensitive and beautifully-sung performance as Elaine ensures that Elaine is a character with dementia and not defined by it. But the real stand out, making her professional debut, is Katie Cailean as Emma - the programme notes that authentic representation was paramount in the casting process led by Olivia Laydon for Jill Green Casting. Cailean captures Emma’s tics, rubbing the sofa when agitated, her creativity and her voice with utter clarity.

Representation matters in the arts, as they have a vital role to play in diminishing the severity of conditions like dementia, and opening audiences’ eyes to new perspectives. Curve have long been a champion of that, from their dementia-friendly performances to their co-production of Maggie May. Indigo furthers that work. I hope this musical has a further life as it’s a gem of a show.

Indigo plays at Curve, Leicester until 19^th July. For further information please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/indigo/

The cast of Indigo. Credit: Manuel Harlan.