The musical "Sleepless: A Musical Romance," which premiered on Tuesday at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theater, is more significant for being London's first fully staged indoor musical since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Other musical revivals have been performed in outdoor locations with limited casts or no live actors. Despite being fairly unremarkable, "Sleepless" is a symbol of the return of live performances on a larger scale, which was previously unimaginable just a few months ago. The musical, based on the successful 1993 film "Sleepless in Seattle," features a plot where the romantic leads are kept apart until the end, mirroring our socially distanced era. Safety measures, such as daily coronavirus testing for the cast and crew and mandatory masks for the audience, are in place to ensure a safe experience for all. The theater in northwestern London, located away from the closed West End, is only selling less than one-third of its 1,300 seats for each show to generate some revenue. This decision was made by producers who believed that having some paying audience was better than having none at all. The play "Sleepless: A Musical Romance" is based on the 1993 hit film "Sleepless in Seattle" and is London's first fully staged indoor musical in months. Despite the efforts of all involved, it is disappointing that the production by director Morgan Young is not more exciting, even though the lead actors are likable. Young and his two English stars had previously collaborated on the West End premiere of the musical "Big" last year, which was also based on a Tom Hanks film. An undated photo from Alastair Muir shows Kimberley Walsh, Jack Reynolds, and Jay McGuiness in "Sleepless: A Musical Romance" at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theater in London, which is the city's first fully staged indoor musical in months. The production is based on the popular 1993 film "Sleepless in Seattle." It's refreshing to see a new British composing team, Robert Scott and Brendan Cull, in a musical landscape dominated by Andrew Lloyd Webber on this side of the Atlantic. However, much of the score in "Sleepless" has a similar, easy-listening quality, with songs blending together. The character Annie's songs mainly convey her feelings of being "out of my mind" or "out of my head," reflecting her sudden obsession with a man she heard about on the radio during the holidays. Just like the film, the audience sympathizes with Walter, Annie's partner, who is taken by surprise by her growing attraction to someone she has only heard. In this version, the focus shifts to Jonah, Sam's son, who steals the spotlight with his energetic performance. The highlight of the show is a duet between Jonah and Sam's friend Rob, which is so captivating that they even do an encore. The musical stays true to Nora Ephron's screenplay, sometimes overemphasizing certain references. Annie, a reporter for The Baltimore Sun, is portrayed as a film enthusiast with a strong interest in the Cary Grant-Deborah Kerr movie "An Affair to Remember," which inspired Ephron's film. However, it is unclear why Annie feels the need to express her love for Grant or debate Kerr's last name, as a true movie buff would. Annie's eccentricities, such as finding the word "exotic" exotic, lead to unpredictable conversations. McGuiness and Walsh, known for their work with pop groups, are likable leaders in a show that feels somewhat lacking. Despite this, "Sleepless" leaves you satisfied but eager for more and better theater experiences in the future. Text = Copyright 2020 New York Times News Service.