Review: HEN NIGHT HORROR, Pavilion Theatre
Hen Night Horror runs at the Pavilion Theatre until 22 June
Hen Night Horror is a brand-new Scottish musical comedy with book by Fraser Boyle and music and lyrics by Ali Cleland. It opens at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre before embarking on a Scottish tour.
It's Amanda (Kim Shepherd)'s hen night and all she wants is to have a nice time with her bridesmaids Lydia (Louise McCarthy) and Donna (Frances Thorburn) but those two aren't currently speaking. Lydia is suspicious of Donna's sudden increase in disposable income and Donna thinks Lydia needs to mind her own business.
What makes Hen Night Horror so special is the surprises so I won't spoil anything but whatever you're expecting- you're wrong. The plot twists in this show are fantastic. What I can tell you is that this is comedy horror done to absolute perfection. The three leading ladies are perfectly cast and have the humour nailed. I genuinely don't think I've ever laughed so hard at a musical. As for the music, the song lyrics are a laugh riot yet they are also technically brilliant as musical theatre songs. Pure wizardry from Ali Cleland.
As the drinks flow on what Amanda declares "the worst hen night ever", Lydia becomes convinced that she saw a man outside the window. There are a couple of jump scares in the first Act but nothing too severe. Alan Orr plays Mr Jeffreys, a man who unexpectedly attends the hen night and is associated with Donna's mysterious new job. If you're used to seeing Orr as the loveable daftie in the PACE panto, strap in... Matthew McKenna is the final actor in the show and again...expect the unexpected! It truly is a fantastic cast.
This is genuinely wonderful theatre and you can tell there's a Scottish creative team as the characters are genuine without being stereotypical. Female friendship is brilliantly portrayed as the trio try to navigate the most difficult night of their lives.
Hen Night Horror is one of the best new musicals I've seen in a long time. Comedy horror is not a genre that often gets tackled as its so hard to get it right but in this case, it's absolutely faultless.
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