Review: MOBY DICK THE MUSICAL, Union Theatre, 18 October 2016

It's a 25th anniversary revival for Moby Dick The Musical, so we can forgive the now hackneyed set-up of a St Triniansesque school, in trouble with Ofsted, rescuing itself by putting on a show - in this case, as unlikely as it sounds, Moby Dick. There's a scattering of stereotypes amongst the staff and students too, but director Andrew Wright bills it as a "saucy" romp - so you're warned!

The aesthetic works perfectly with the venue, the Union Theatre, even in its pleasant new home - a fringe venue in which an old school OHP projecting on to a white sheet looks completely natural and not an affectation at all. There's some lovely work of that kind elsewhere too, with a gymnasium vaulting horse dismantled and reconstructed as The Pequod, Ahab's ship, and hockey sticks as harpoons (and, well, other things too). There's a bit of Phantom spoofing (this is a Cameron Mackintosh gig after all) though not, alas, Nirvana, whose iconic "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video kept jumping to mind.

The show is all energy and commitment with some splendid singing, especially from X Factor graduates Brenda Edwards and Anton Stephans, who purveys a good line in camp comedy too as both Captain Ahab and St Godley's boozy headmistress, Dame Rhoda Hottie. They get enthusiastic support from the young cast, in which Rachel Anne Rayham's crystal-clear vocals stand out.

The plot's conceit supports the first half, but the second flags, with the novel's longeurs as the white whale is pursued intruding on even this loosest of adaptations. And, though the stakes are high for Ahab's crew in their existential struggle with nature both mental and physical, that jeopardy is absent from the show as it's both lighthearted in tone and "just" a show after all. We want to see all these kids do well, but the subplot about the school being closed down is hardly established and never pursued. We just don't care as much as we should.

The songs are good, catchy rather than memorable, and given full volume by Lee Freeman's band backed up by plenty of belt from the singers. But, as with many "rock" musicals, not every performer (singing individually or as a chorus) has the command of diction that allows all the lyrics to be heard - exposition and character development are sacrificed to the conventions of the rock genre.

That said, this is a show that should attract a young audience - there's a little naughtiness but no more than you would find in any secondary school's graffiti or playground chat. And anything that introduces young people to the theatre (and is not panto, though this production sails dangerously close at times) must be welcomed with open arms, for they are the audiences of the next 25 years.

Moby Dick The Musical continues at the Union Theatre until 12 November.

Photo Pam Raith.

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