Little Piece of You makes its UK premiere after development in the United States. With music by rising 17-year-old singer/songwriter Kjersti Long (who first wrote it when she was 14) and co-written by father/producer Jeremy Long, it features an all-star cast.i When I was invited to the media rehearsal, I got excited at the promise it showed. The question now is whether it lived up to the hype.
I was gifted a ticket in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Little Piece of You
Cast
- Mothers: Mica Paris
- Daughters: Dujonna Gift
- Fathers: David Bedella
- Sydney Hill: Kjersti Long
Rating: ★★
What is Little Piece of You about?
Little Piece of You follows mother Shannon and daughter Britt who try reconnecting which forces them to examine past generations. During this, a separate narrative involving teen rock singer Sydney Hill, whose music backdrops the story.
What did I think of Little Piece of You?
Little Piece of You is subtitled as ‘an atypical concert,’ yet it feels like it’s for the wrong reasons. While it has interesting ideas surrounding mother/daughter relationships, generational trauma and parasocial relationships in a social media obsessed world that loves micro-examining every aspect of celebrities’ lives, the muddled execution leaves a lot to be desired. Filled with clunky exposition-filled dialogue, Melissa Larson’s script makes the characters and their relationships feel underbaked and one dimensional, making it difficult to get emotionally invested in the narrative.
Many of Little Piece of You‘s issues are thanks to its directionless pacing. Initially set up as Shannon and Britt rebuilding their relationship through an unrealistic secret arrangement involving skipping school and work to create art in act one, it suddenly pivots into flashbacks of the previous two generations in (the 40-minute) act two. This is all on top of Britt’s favourite rock star Sydney Hill supposedly committing suicide while staying around like a ghostly spectre. Nothing is given the time to sit with the weight it deserves, and I left the theatre questioning what it was trying to say. To say nothing about the oversimplified depictions of depression, self harm and mental illness.
Kjersti Long’s rock heavy songs are easily the strongest aspect of Little Piece of You. Giving the concert a much-needed energy boost between the drawn out book-heavy scenes (despite some occasional sound issues), they have an edge of Alanis Morissette and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. With highlights including Who Turned The Lights Out and Sad Song, it’s admirable to hear the kind of complex emotions expressed from a teenager’s eyes. That being said, I question why the songs needed a narrative to go with them when both feel so disconnected.
What’s the cast like?
The cast undoubtedly make the most out of their material, but there’s only so much they can do. Mica Paris showcases her powerful voice that reminds you why she’s one of the UK’s queen of souls, but her occasionally stale line deliveries make each mother she plays feel indistinguishable from the other. Rising star Dujonna Gift (Two Strangers) makes struggling teen Britt and young Shannon feel authentic, while Kjersti Long shows charisma as rocker Sydney Hill.
The one cast member who I wish was given more is multi-Olivier winning David Bedella’s talent who elevates every scene he’s in. Telling corny dad jokes and trying to push Shannon out of her funk by making questionable decisions as Ethan, that Bedella wasn’t allowed to sing is the least of the concert’s crimes.
It’d be impossible to not also mention the ensemble, but it’s purely because I question their purpose outside of interpretive dancing for scene transitions and Sydney Hill’s rock numbers.
What are my overall thoughts?
Little Piece of You undoubtedly has a strong cast and music. It’s just a shame that it comes with an anemic narrative, underbaked characters and cluttered staging.
I take no pleasure in saying I didn’t enjoy Little Piece of You because I felt it had promise from what I saw at the media rehearsals. Kjersti Long shows so much musical talent for her age and I don’t want to discourage her from pursuing her artistic endeavours, but there’s much dramaturgically that needs reworking if the creatives eventually plan on making a fully staged production. Or maybe, best of all, let Kjersti Long showcase her songs herself instead of tacking on a story to go with it.
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