Critically acclaimed stage director/choreographer Nick Winston brings his West End and Off-Broadway hit Tomorrow Morning to the big screen in his feature film debut. When I first heard about the film, mainly that its leads would be two of my favourite West End stars Samantha Barks and Ramin Karimloo, my inner 16-year-old from years ago was fangirling and I got a ticket to this Tuesday’s screening in Covent Garden. So, what did I think of it?
Tomorrow Morning
Directed by: Nick Winston
Running time: 90 minutes
Rating: ★★
What is Tomorrow Morning about?
Tomorrow Morning follows married couple, painter Cat/Catherine (Samantha Barks) and writer Will/Bill (Ramin Karimloo), on two important days a decade apart: the day before their wedding and the day before their divorce settlement and negotiation over their penthouse. As the show switches timelines revealing how the couple’s relationship detiorated while their son Zak (Oliver Clayton) is left on his own to deal with his parent’s separation, Catherine and Bill question whether their love is still worth saving.
What are my thoughts on Tomorrow Morning’s story?
I need to start this review by saying I’ve never seen the stage version of Tomorrow Morning nor had means to before going into this film. That being said, I was aware that each production from its original 2006 London to 2011 Off-Broadway had gone through extensive rewrites and it’s staged as a four-piece ensemble with two couples representing each timeline. I don’t have the authority on if it’s faithful to the source material, but I had problems that made me question.
My main issues with Tomorrow Morning lie in the material not being fit for a film due to the writing and execution. The lack of a narrative structure means the film abruptly jumps through each timeline with the only indication being that Will is clean shaven versus Bill’s scruffy beard and Cat has long flowing hair versus Catherine’s being slightly shorter and the standard garish versus gloomy lighting. That isn’t even mentioning the occasional flashback within a flashback which left me more confused about the chronology of events.
I’m not going to say the story is completely hopeless as there were moments that gave me the occasional chuckle and provided a glimmer of self awareness of the overall cheesiness, including some interesting lyrical choices mentioning Ho Chi Minh. The concepts are there for an engaging story about a couple literally and figuratively becoming different people after a decade of marriage that might have worked in the stage version. For example, I could see how the sequence where Will having a conversation with Bill would have played out and had more impact if it kept the twist that these two seemingly different men were actually the same one.
I may as well also note that Tomorrow Morning will garner inevitable comparisons to another musical about a broken marriage with switching timelines, The Last Five Years. That may not be a coincidence on my end as I saw Samantha Barks play Cathy in a production of the show opposite a then unknown Jonathan Bailey. In this case I find it unfair to compare them as both try for different tones.
What was the cast like in Tomorrow Morning?
Ramin Karimloo and Samantha Barks are both phenomenal performers and singers who I’ve seen on screen and stage several times. They do their best with the material given and have chemistry, but my problem with Cat/Catherine and Will/Bill is that the film focuses too much on telling us how their relationship blossomed and deteriorated versus showing the blissful honeymoon period gradually turn to tension and reach its boiling point in the present. In a stage show, it can work as it only features four actors and leaves each version of events up to interpretation. Some of their one-note relationship and personalities can also be due to how the film handles its musical numbers which I’ll explain in a moment.
The leap to film also means adding supporting characters into the narrative who are your usual rom-com fare including X Factor alum Fleur East (who fares better in singing than the acting department) and George Maguire (Bonnie and Clyde) as best friends India and Nick. Stage and screen star Harriet Thorpe also appears as Cat’s overbearing and judgemental mother Joy and also has some funny moments, but the best of the bunch are easily Dame Joan Collins and Omid Djali in extended cameos as Cat’s grandmother Anna and Will’s father Dariush, bringing out some genuine humour that sadly doesn’t last as long as it should.
It was also great seeing West End veterans scattered around the cast including some I’ve seen onstage like Tyrone Huntley, Alyn Hawke, Oliver Savile, Ivan de Freitas, and a cameo from original stage Will (then named John/Jack) Stephen Ashfield.
What are the songs like in Tomorrow Morning?
This may sound strange for a musical movie, but Tomorrow Morning‘s songs felt like they didn’t gel together with the world it establishes. While Laurence Mark Wythe’s songs were decent as generic pop Broadway songs and ballads, the main problem I had was the way they were edited. I’m not going to harp on the use of green screens, compositing and body doubles as this was a low budget movie filmed during a pandemic and they had to work with what they were given. That being said, many songs felt static or had a nauseating spinning camera, awkward split screens and fade cuts returning to moments after as if what happened on screen didn’t grab the viewer’s attention.
While there is impressive choreography like the finale wedding and salsa scene with the dancers going all out with high energy, many songs feature characters walking around and singing their feelings or narrating moments set to music video style montages telling us what’s happening instead of letting the scenes play out. One egregious example I can think of is Bill singing about a potential new love with co-worker Rachel only to reveal he broke her heart in the space of a minute.
What are my overall thoughts?
None of my critiques about Tomorrow Morning are to disparage the people involved on and off-screen. They are all talented in their own right and it shouldn’t be a reflection of their capabilities nor discourage them from trying to do film as there are plenty of theatre actors and directors who’ve successfully made the jump. Trust me, I’ve seen much worse and offensive musical films than this and the cast looked like they were having fun.
If you’re huge fan of Ramin Karimloo and Samantha Barks or are in the mood for a cheesy musical rom com on a rainy Sunday afternoon with nothing better to do, then you may like it. This is just one of those cases where it didn’t work for me.
Tomorrow Morning is select cinemas from September 6th.
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