Yet another modern take on an old as Earth Faustian ‘deal with the devil’. Exposure The Musical: Life Through A Lens tells the story of a successful young photographer Jimmy Tucker (played by David Albery). His father was a Pulitzer-winning photographer who died in Africa the day he was born. Like him, Tucker aspires to expose the sufferings of most vulnerable tribes of Africa.

After coming back to London and being hired for a shoot by his childhood friend, now a scandalous coke addict and rock star Pandora (played by Niamh Perry), the recognised artistic photographer soon realises that London has its own rules. PR agent and celebrity manager Miles Mason (played by Michael Greco) readily explains the ins and outs of London show business. Jimmy is offered the future of true influencer, a position where from he can really make a difference and speak for most deprived. But – there is always a ‘but’ – for this to happen Jimmy Tucker must make his name snapping celebs first. Truth be told, a lot of careers in media and art are built around celebrities; so the pact with the devil doesn’t seem so sinister at all, rather a reality of life. That’s probably the reason why I found this story so easily relatable.

The musical is 12 years in the making and rightly so. Being so realistic, we see –arguably- the ugly side of journalism, and in particular photojournalism. The characters are drawn from real showbiz scene; their aspirations, issues, and thirst for fame – we recognise them all and perhaps even put names to characters so accurately depicted in the musical. We see the fabrication of news stories, idolisation and then obliteration of personages – an everyday occurrence in the media.

Timothy Bird’s arresting set design is something to see and remember, a clever use of background with a fast-moving montage of images makes a quick change of scenes look nothing but natural. The visuals are truly immersive.

The accomplished performers projected their powerful voices to the audience with aplomb. The song-and-dance chorus, choreographed by Lindon Barris, is near perfect.

What I found perhaps unnecessary was a display of Albury in only his underwear and a ‘pregnant schoolgirl’ showing off her acrobatic skills in the opening scenes.

Andrew Lloyd Webber recently bought the St James Theatre with the intention of turning it into a producing powerhouse for new British musicals. The Exposure is a Broadway quality musical in a very intimate setting.