A lovely, heart-warming, funny musical that doesn’t take itself too seriously but at the same time manages to mash up so many genres of music that it would be silly to not take this comedy seriously. Don’t expect your run of the mill dating musical because
A good watch and definitely worth a shot.
Maria Hunter’s slapstick, self-referential and at times existential comedy is hilarious and I could watch her all day. Her choreography, northern charm and general stage presence is phenomenal, this is only heightened and enhanced by her fellow cast members who are equally as charming. Hunter and Alex Legge have a lovely, endearing presence and are wonderful to watch together. Legge’s side glances had me doubled over, she nails the Miranda Hart meets Eric Morecambe looks. I also found myself captured by Helena Banerjee’s performance; her Chelsea stance gave the show that extra bit of pizazz. The cast harmonise very well and are a testament to Ari Rice (lyricist and composer) and Annabelle Sami’s (writer and director) talent.
The cast seem to gel very well and it is not hard to see that they have each individually developed characters and devised their relationships within the story. Grace Cameron’s voice is phenomenal, she stood out from the rest of the cast and could no doubt be on the west end if she pursues a career. Sophia Walker and Sophie Davies also stood out with their voices and both acted as a lovely filler in between scenes.
The music in the play, carried by Sophie Davies, George Readshaw and Jack Ridley was wonderful. It was fun, different and very catchy. The two guitarists particularly stand out with their polar opposite characters but are equally as charismatic and carry so much chemistry on stage that it is difficult not to fall in love with both.
My only worry is that I wish there was more. More plot, more scandal, more silliness and much more love interest, but I’ll put that down to the time limits. A good watch and definitely worth a shot.
