WISH-LIST WEDNESDAY: Fly By Night

Who knew there was more than one musical about a blackout, following in the footsteps of Lin-Manuel Miranda, we have this 2014 off-broadway hidden gem, described as a "darkly comic rock-fable", that centres around the 1965 northeast blackout in New York City, with much of the story focuses on a love triangle between music-loving sandwich maker Harold, and two sisters: Daphne who's an actress with aspirations to perform on broadway, and Miriam who's a waitress with a love for all things astronomical. It also features a narrator who also takes on a range of other roles, including Harold's father and a fortune teller.

It features a book and folk rock style score by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick and Kim Rosenstock, and after a developmental period that included work at Yale University, it made its premiere at the Playwrights Horizon Theatre, appropriately, in New York City. The cast featured a whole of established broadway names, such as Adam Chanler-Berat, Michael McCormick and Patti Murin. In spite of a strong critical reception, during which it was praised for its strong thematic material, well written score and inventive staging, it has yet to see life beyond this world premiere production.

If there is one thing that is for certain about the wider theatre community, it's that we love an underdog, and I feel like we all secretly love to see a small show making it big, just look at "Operation Mincemeat", "Oh Mary!" and "Two Strangers" all having had strong showings in the west end and on broadway, in spite of their diminutive size and foundations. There's no doubt that a show like "Fly By Night" potentially has all the hallmarks of a little show that could, and if given the chance in the UK, I see no reason why it couldn't build itself a good following, so let's wait and see what the future holds...