The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical - First Listen Review

Aubrey Niffenger’s ground-breaking science fiction novel has been adapted for the screen twice, but now it’s hitting the stage in a brand new musical adaptation. Based on the best-selling book and the New Line Cinema film, the new musical premiered at Storyhouse in Chester on 30th September and will continue till 15th October 2022 ahead of a West End transfer, to be announced later.

The Time Traveller's Wife features a book by Lauren Gunderson and a score by Grammy and Brit Award-winners Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics and Ghost fame) and Joss Stone, with additional music by Nick Finlow and additional lyrics by Kait Kerrigan. WhatsOnStage gave a first listen to brand new musical numbers from the upcoming world premiere production of The Time Traveller's Wife. As Chester is a bit too far – very far – for me to travel to, I will be waiting till the West End transfer of the show. In the meantime, I will review the songs released on YouTube in September.

"Masterpiece" – Performed by Joanna Woodward (Clare), alongside the company of The Time Traveller's Wife.

After meeting Henry for the first time – in their linear timeline – Clare is a bit shell-shocked and reflects on her memories of him and her excitement for the future. This song, I believe captures Clare’s character perfectly.

The lyrics reveal aspects of Clare’s artistic passions, repeatedly referring to Henry as her “masterpiece” throughout the song. It will be interesting to see how Clare's feelings shift and develop throughout the musical. Here we see a younger, more innocent version of Clare as she's swept up in the magic and romantic notion of Henry and it'll be interesting to see her character growth written for the stage.

Joanna Woodward's performance as Clare was great, from the glimpse that we've seen I liked her portrayal. There's a boldness to Clare's lyrics that is difference Dave Stewart's characterisation of Molly in Ghost: The Musical. Both heroines have a distinct voice and Clare has much more of a refreshing edge. I enjoyed this take on Clare and Henry's first meeting, this was a strong musical number.

"Wait For Me" – Performed by David Hunter (Henry), alongside the company of The Time Traveller's Wife.

I imagine this song will be performed after the library meeting in “Masterpiece” as Henry time jumps to the past and ponders the fact Clare confirms he has a future - however uncertain it is.

This song almost has a boyish charm to it, which was a bit jarring. The lyrics and overall arc of the song made sense, but I wasn’t keen on the direction for Hunter. Maybe it’s because I have seen Eric Bana and Theo James’ darker interpretations of Henry in previous adaptations, Hunter’s version has more joy which is a different take.

Hunter has a charming stage presence throughout the song - especially with his conversation with his mother, but I wouldn’t have directed him to scream his greeting at her. Just my opinion - and I’d be very interested in seeing how he plays the darker sides of his character in later scenes and numbers of the show.

Joining Woodward and Hunter on stage will be Aisha Davis (UK theatre debut) as Dr Kendrick, Ross Dawes (Rock of Ages) as Henry's Dad, Hiba Elchikhe (Everybody's Talking About Jamie) as Charisse, Stevie Hutchinson (Ghost) as Clare's Dad, Tim Mahendran (& Juliet) as Gomez, Sorelle Marsh (White Christmas) as Henry's Mum, Benjamin Purkiss (Zorro) as Jason / Mark and Alwyne Taylor (Company) as Old Clare. The actresses playing Young Clare will be announced shortly.

The production is directed by Bill Buckhurst and designed by Anna Fleischle, with choreography by Shelley Maxwell, lighting design by Lucy Carter, illusions by Chris Fisher, video design by Andrzej Goulding, sound design by Richard Brooker, musical supervision and arrangement by Nick Finlow and orchestrations by Bryan Crook. Casting is by Grindrod Burton Casting.