(seen at the afternoon performance on 24th September 2026)
Jeanine Tesori has written for some of the monkey’s favourite modern musicals. “Violet,” “Caroline or Change”, the sublime “Fun Home” and the anarchic original adult production of “Shrek The Musical.”
This is very much in keeping with her previous work. A young person with a dilemma and dysfunctional family sets out on a journey of self-discovery.
Kimberley Levanco (Maria Friedman) is 16 but looks 66 thanks to a rare genetic illness causing her to age 4 times faster than everyone else and shortening her life expectancy to… well… the age she turns in the show.
Her life is lonely, hanging out with the other losers at dishevelled ice-rink “Skater Planet.”
She was the product of a teenage pregnancy, so home is barely 30s frustrated, pregnant and carpal-tunnel op survivor Pattie Levanco (Niamh Perry) and drunk oaf father Buddy (Peter Hannah).
Oh, and Aunt Debra (Alice Fearn) whirlwinds through with criminal ideas that cause Kimberly and her desperate high school choir to indulge in a check-washing fraud with her.
The rest of the plot involves Kimberly obtaining a boyfriend, Seth (Gilli Jones) and tick-box stuff about Kimberly wanting her “Wish Upon A Star” charity gift, gay / straight choirboys and choirgirls pairing off and parent / teen conflict.
Friedman avoids juvenile stereotyping, perhaps going slightly too far as it is somewhat hard to sustain the belief that she is only sixteen.
Alice Fearn steals every scene, having far too much fun with her role than any paid musical theatre performer should be allowed. Probably best for the Post Office to seal all pillar boxes in her vicinity for the next year or two until it is out of her system.
Parents Perry and Hannah are somewhat underwritten, yet deliver dead end frustration to perfection. She is making the most of shattered dreams and exhaustion, he knows his freedom will never return and resents it despite a sense of duty.
Gilli Jones struggles and wins with Seth Weetis. Early difficult scenes and a featherweight finish are navigated with surprising skill for an inexperienced performer – a young person to watch.
Rather unbalanced in storylining, the structure points to origins as either a 90 minute straight through show or two 1 hour shows welded together.
It rather misses building on its central idea by offering subplots which feel slightly less than well integrated, and a second half packed with ideas unrelated to the setup atmosphere and concept of the first.
The nett result is not as moving or original as “Fun Home” and “Caroline or Change,” nor as funny as Shrek;” yet interesting as an idea, even if the music fails to land as instantly as the other three on a single hearing.
Going by the lavish staging – a beautiful revolving three-storey home by Soutra Gilmour – this has hopes of a West End transfer. The monkey is not sure it will find a large enough commercial audience, but it would be delighted if it does.
3 stars.