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Already Perfect

 
Alexander Williams Review by Alexander Williams 3 Published: 29 Jan 2026 King's Head Theatre Show Dates: 9 Jan 2026-15 Feb 2026

Already Perfect is a new musical about an actor called Levi who, having been dumped by his boyfriend over text message, finds himself on the brink of self-destruction through drug abuse as the stress of a disastrous matinee and an impending live capture of his Broadway show pile unbearable pressure on to his shoulders.

Not quite a perfect musical, but a perfect and much-needed message.

The story develops swiftly as, just in the nick of time, his sponsor Ben appears and forces Levi to confront his demons by magically summoning the spirit of Levi’s younger self, Matthew. Over the next 100 minutes we witness the blistering conflict between present-day Levi and his twinky, optimistic former self as they battle between the joy and ambition of youth, and the world-weary resignation and self-judgement of adulthood.

Tony award winner Levi Kreis is responsible for book, music and lyrics, and plays the self-named lead, offering a clear invitation to draw biographical parallels between the action on stage and his real life. He has a powerhouse voice, moving seamlessly between musical styles as diverse as country, gospel, pop and trance.

Ben, played with affable charm by Yiftach ‘Iffy’ Mizrahi, is the catalyst for the metatheatricality, turning the backstage dressing room setting into a performance space with spinning walls, dizzying lights and plummeting Bibles. Indeed, the set becomes a character in its own right – a liminal space in which the truth of Levi’s troubling past and turbulent present coincide.

The heart of the show is Matthew, played with boyband charisma by Killian Thomas Lefevre. His winning smile, overwhelming confidence and athletic hip thrusts are in stark juxtaposition to his hangdog older self, and inject the narrative with drive and dynamism.

Too many themes are packed into not enough time, with Levi’s AIDS status repeatedly mentioned but never insightfully explored. However, the devastating impacts of religion on gay identity are tackled with depth and thoughtfulness. Add in a dollop of suicide, drug abuse, prostitution and domestic violence, and you begin to feel a touch disorientated. But despite the heaviness of the themes, they are mostly treated with a lightness of touch and sense of humour that keeps the mood buoyant rather than tragic.

Overall, it is a powerful and evocative exploration of the complexities of gay life and the urgent need for all of us to be kind to our past selves, and to acknowledge and accept them as central to who we are now. Not quite a perfect musical, but a perfect and much-needed message.

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The Blurb:

Tony Award winner Levi Kreis confronts the boy he left behind—one night, one reckoning.

Already Perfect is a searing and uplifting new musical by Tony Award winner Levi Kreis. As his Broadway show is about to be filmed for the archives, Levi unravels in his dressing room, ready to end it all. His sponsor, Ben, bursts in and through their confrontation, a bit of theatrical magic begins to occur: the room splits open and out steps the brash younger self Levi once was. Past and present collide in a theatrical self-reckoning as the two versions of Levi bring to life past memories and the three men morph through dozens of characters powered by a score that soars from gospel tambourine to tender ballad.

At once brutally honest and defiantly hopeful, Already Perfect asks what it takes to make peace with your story. With humour, music, and unflinching truth, it lands on a radical simplicity: there is nothing to prove: you are already perfect. 

Instagram/Facebook/TikTok: @alreadyperfectmusical