The first thing to note is that this isn’t a sincere musicalisation of Herman Melville's classic novel of man and beast in mortal combat on the high seas.It’s a bright and breezy anarchic musical, fully engaging with the absurdity of the premise; depicting the older school kids (played by adults) in a sexualised way and parodying the style of the vintage ST TRINIANS film comedies. These movies and this musical also have a man playing the headmistress, pre-dating the recent musical MATILDA which also does this.
On this occasion the school is in the hands of X Factor celebrity Anton Stephens and he is hilarious, loveable and utterly engaging as a headmistress, peering over horn-rimmed glasses, snatching at fortifying glasses of sherry and belting out soulful numbers as he/she takes on the leading role of Captain Ahab in the school musical. His wife, in the spoof show, is played by another X Factor star, Brenda Edwards whose glorious singing voice ensures she steals every scene she’s in.
The real life director and choreographer of it all is the celebrated Andrew Wright and his status as a top West End choreographer has attracted a fantastic ensemble of young performers. He draws very funny and committed performances from everyone involved and Musical Director Lee Freeman ensures the singing is fantastic throughout.
I saw the ill fated original production several times because I loved it so much and I was surprised how many of the songs were still in my memory. It’s a terrific score spoofing many genres but there are also plenty of songs which rise above mere parody to be great show tunes in their own right.
What’s surprising is how much of Herman Melville’s story cuts through all the naughtiness and still exerts a hold over the audience. One day it might be interesting to see a production where some of the scenes are played straight and sincerely but on this occasion its non-stop fun from beginning to end.
All the high pitched shrieking of the lines does get a little tiresome occasionally, the younger cast members could trust they’re in a great show and not push so hard all the time, and in my opinion the piece is a little over amplified. However this is undeniably a very funny show, packed with Wright’s trademark witty choreography, and a fine testament to his long love affair with the material.
A lot of fun!
"Chemsex" is a slang term which, you won’t be surprised to learn, means a combination of sex and drugs and within the gay community this tends to mean group sex enjoyed at a “chill out party"