Review: BECOMING NANCY @ Birmingham Rep (preview)

 

A brand new UK musical, especially from the pens of such established composers as Stiles and Drewe, is to be celebrated particularly when the subject deals with such complex issues as coming out and racism combined with  kitsch nostalgia for the 1970s. Terry Ronald's 2012 novel Becoming Nancy has become something of a cult hit, with its vivid characters portraying a world of light and shade.

 

For those who haven't read the book,  the year is 1979 and a school in East Dulwich has decided to put on a production of Oliver!, the Lional Bart Dickensian musical.  For 16 year old David Starr, this means dreams of stage stardom, convinced he is going to get the lead role of Fagin.  However, things don't work out like that.  He is given the role of Nancy, due to him being the best singer in the school and Nancy having the best song. Already bullied for being a 'pansy', David is coming to the realisation he is gay.  It is a painful process, a secret he tries to hide from his Mum and bullish Dad.  His best friend is the fiery Frances, a black girl who has her fair share of racial intollerance from the local bigots. Luckily the colourful drama teacher Hamish McClaronon takes David under this wing and guides him towards a hopeful triumph in the school production. Into the fray enter a new boy at the school, Maxie Boswell, impossibly good looking and athletic captain of the football team. He is cast opposite David as Bill Sikes.  A chemistry develops between the two, but what is it?  With the battle lines drawn with National Front supporter Jason Lancaster and cruel PE teacher Bob Lord, the term is not going to be an easy ride.

And that my friends is the starting point, for a wonderful journey of love and self discovery blighted by the right wing violence and bullying that were sadly a part of the 1970s. But this is a musical about hope and that is its key. The musical had its world premiere in Atlanta during 2019 but now finds itself on home territory for this amazing new production directed by theatre legend Jerry Mitchell, the man who propelled Kinky Boots, Hairspray and Legally Blonde to Broadway megastardom.

The score is mostly by George Styles (music)  and Anthony Drewe (lyrics),  however Elliot Davies (book) and original author Terry Ronald also have a hand in the songwriting credits, so it appears a real team effort.  There are so many bangers in the score that it should be served with a helping of mash,  every ballad and up tempo moment are ear-worms that you can take from the theatre.  This might just be the score that takes Stiles and Drewe from industry respect to global appreciation.

 

And what a cast the Birmingham Rep have served up for the shows British debut. Lead by Joseph Peacock as David Starr,  he has a wonderful voice as he proved in The Osmonds musical recently and finds the teenage angst within David with which we can all associate.  He is matched by Joseph Vella as the charismatic sporty Maxie,  they convey a chemistry which has us all rooting from them throughout the show.  But this is a very much an ensemble piece.  Paige Peddie as Frances Bassey, with her weariness at the treatment she gets from daily racism, is a tour de force.  She has the voice of a diva and transforms herself into Donna Summer in an instant for the big disco number 'Ready To Be Touched'.  Rebecca Trehearn (so brilliant in Andrew Lloyd Webber's troubled Cinderella) is David's Mum Kath.  Her solo number 'About Six Inches From Your Heart' is a showstopper.  David's supportive Aunt Val played by Genevieve Nicole is a straight talking, down to earth rock that we would all want as our aunt. She miraculously transforms herself into a other wordly Kate Bush when the script requires, proving Nicole's star quality. Her duet of lost loves (with Daisy Greenwood as David's would be girlfriend Abigail Henson) 'On The Night Bus' has a real pathos. Stephen Ashfield as Hamish McClarnon, David's mentor and friend,  is another accomplished performance as he flounces around directing Oliver! and generally steering events in the school. Mathew Craig as David's boorish Dad Eddie is a difficult role, but manages that fine line which gives the character depth and not just bluster.  I could go on naming outstanding performances, but the entire ensemble deliver faultlessly.  The music is delivered flawlessly by Musical Director Sarah Burrell and her four musicians,  going from disco to reggae and show ballad when required. They meet the demands of the score with ease.

 

Although only in preview when we saw the show,  we instantly decided it was a 'returner'.  That is to say we want to see it again.  Becoming Nancy has the ingredients of a hit: great songs, great performances and a story that touches the heart. It's a risk worth taking.

Rob and Ian

 

Show details can be found at the offical BECOMING NANCY WEBSITE

A 6 track EP of songs from the show performed by the 2024 cast is available on all major streaming and download services.

Becoming Nancy Songs (highlighed songs available on the EP):

ACT ONE

Welcome To The Beat Of My Heart

Becoming Nancy

Look At Them

You Do You

The Play's The Thing

I Don't Care

About Six Inches From Your Heart

Big Night Tonight

Move Along

Is This Something?

 ACT TWO

Abigail Henson

On The Night Bus

My Skin

Where Do We Go From Here?

Just For Today

Ready To Be Touched

The Risk

Have You Ever Had A Love Like This?