“A war-torn love story with mass appeal”

From the pen of Birmingham musician, writer and producer Adrian Kimberlin, ‘After This Plane Has Landed’ charts the story of journalist John McCarthy and his partner Jill Morrell during John’s time in Beirut where he became hostage in 1986 whilst covering the civil war in Lebanon.  Perhaps at first glance, not quite the seat filler, however what transpires is a war-torn love story with mass appeal.

This show is previewing at The Dark Horse in Moseley, Birmingham prior to its visit to the Edinburgh Fringe.  This venue is perfect for an intimate theatrical experience and during this 60-minute musical dramedy I found myself quite captivated by the story and performances.  The roles of John McCarthy and Jill Morrell were played by Benedict Powell and Claire Russell respectively.  The chemistry between the pair made the whole performance believable and natural.  There were many beautiful moments of crisp harmonies between the pair and the pace never slowed.

We were taken along on a train journey with both characters as they reflected on the atrocities dealt with by McCarthy during his time held captive and the tireless campaigning carried out by Jill Morrell over the 4 years until John’s release in 1991.  The story flowed very well during this whirlwind look back on those fateful years.  During this time Jill Morrell set up ‘The Friends of John McCarthy’, travelled extensively, took part in many TV interviews, and generally never gave up the fight of being reunited with the man she loved.