Edinburgh Fringe Review - Vulvarine: A New Musical

If you’re heading up to Edinburgh this summer then the number one company not to miss is Fat Rascal Theatre. Founded in 2016, the mischievous new musical theatre heroes have produced one hit after the other, and their Vulvarine: A New Musical is no exception. It returns to the Fringe this year alongside brand new musical parody Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch, and if you want to call yourself a musical theatre fan you'd better buy a ticket to both shows ASAP.

The cast of Vulvarine: A New Musical
Photo credit - Lidia Crisafulli 

Set in the painfully ordinary town of High Wickham, Vulvarine: A New Musical tells the story of overqualified and disaffected desk jockey Bryony Buckle, whose life is turned upside down when a mysterious vaccination and a shock from a rogue lightning bolt transform her into a kick-ass super powered action hero. 

With the fate of the world at risk thanks to her new found nemesis The Mansplainer, Bryony must join forces with her best friend Poppy and workplace sweetheart Orson Bloom, to do something extraordinary and save all of womankind.

Katie Wells and Allie Munro in Vulvarine: A New Musical
Photo credit - Lidia Crisafulli 

As with all of Fat Rascal Theatre’s productions, Vulvarine: A New Musical is hysterically funny, and the entire cast have their whizzbang line delivery down to a tee. Allie Munro exudes Bridget Jones-esque charisma as the musical’s endearing protagonist, meanwhile Robyn Grant displays bucketfuls of roguish irreverence as Vulvarine’s mortal enemy, whilst also multi-roling as Bryony’s foulmouthed cat Elton.

The cast of Vulvarine: A New Musical
Photo credit - Lidia Crisafulli 

The musical fizzes over with brilliant musical numbers, courtesy of Grant, co-writer Daniel Foxx, and James Ringer-Beck. By now they’ve mastered their own unique sound; bubbly, toe tapping contemporary musical theatre fare. The songs drive the production from start to finish, and the musical’s 75 minute run time zips along nicely as a result.

Smart, wickedly funny, and completely unique, Vulvarine: A New Musical is an Edinburgh Fringe must-see.

Review - Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody (King's Head Theatre)

Fat Rascal Theatre have done it again.

After a stonking run in 2017, Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody returns.

Robyn Grant and Jamie Mawson in Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody
Photo credit - Nick Rutter

Beau wants adventure in the great wide somewhere, and that's exactly what he gets when his mother is captured by a mysterious beast, who lives in an enchanted castle on the outskirts of Beau's hometown. 

Forget what you know about the Disney classic, Robyn Grant and Daniel Elliot's hysterically funny parody is the only version of the Beauty and the Beast tale that matters anymore. Weaving razor sharp wit in with bawdier sight gags and quips, the script is an expertly crafted patchwork of comedy. Jokes come thick and fast, leaving very little breathing space, and resulting in one hundred minutes of howling fun.

Jamie Mawson in Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody
Photo credit - Nick Rutter

Music by James Ringer-Beck and Nicola Chang brilliantly pastiches the pomp and grandeur of Alan Menken's Beauty and the Beast tunes. One standout moment sees the cast parody the famous showstopper Be Our Guest to hilarious effect, as the enchanted household objects invite Beau to Have A Brunch. Sadly whilst the anthropomorphic teapot, clock and candlestick Beauty and the Beast fans know and love are all in attendance, Beast's talking toilet is occupied elsewhere. The musical it outrageous fun in its own right, but those especially familiar with the 1991 Disney film will enjoy the lovingly executed lampooning in the script. 

Fans of the Disney film may also recognise Madame Ouef, a townsperson who appears intermittently throughout the musical, desperately hunting for eggs. An excellent homage to the egg enthusiast seen in the film's opening number. 

Allie Monro and the cast of Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody
Photo credit - Nick Rutter

The cast of 5, who multirole as an assortment of familiar characters, know just how to wring every drop of comedy out of Grant and Elliot's writing. Grant herself takes on the role of Beast, who learns to overcome her self-confidence issues and let love and friendship into her life. Jamie Mawson is brilliantly funny as doe-eyed Jane Austen novel enthusiast Beau, and Allie Monro is a glorious scene stealer as Beau's bohemian, beturbaned mother 'crazy old' Maureen. Monroe is equally brilliant as La Fou Fou, the under appreciated stooge of Katie Wells' brash and preppy fox hunting enthusiast Siobhan. Meanwhile, amongst other roles, Aaron Dart is a scream as a trio of angry villagers.

Put simply, Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody is almost impossibly good. So funny, you'll have tears of laughter streaming down your face by the end, this production is a rip-roaring success. 

Review - Vulvarine: A New Musical (Assembly George Square Studios)

Nothing all that interesting ever really happens in High Wycombe, where Bryony Buckle lives with her cat Elton. She spends her days slaving away in a malfunctioning tax office, and swooning over her colleague Orson Bloom. That is until she notices an irregularity with one of the accounts.

The cast of Vulvarine: A New Musical
Photo credit - Fay Summerfield

After reporting the irregularity to higher-ups, Bryony visits a quacky local doctor for a rather suspect vaccination, and is subsequently struck by lightning, which transforms into a super strong superhero. With the help of her work pal Poppy, Bryony dons a lycra costume and mask and becomes Vulvarine, the feminist superhero High Wycombe needs. She's got a lot of work to do, but little does she know she is being pursued by an evil scientist with a dastardly plan to bring down women around the world. The villain's name: The Mansplainer.  

No theatre company does musical comedy quite like Fat Rascal Theatre, who's trademark combination of hilarious madcap jokes and relevant feminist messaging is unparalleled. Keeping the tone vigorously light throughout, despite the high stakes storyline, the book by Robyn Grant is a rollicking laugh-a-minute joyride, which combines some rude and crude bawdiness with more subtle jokes ("Is that your daughter?" Briony asks her doctor, gesturing at a picture. "No." the doctor replies briskly, leaving the audience to fill in the blanks for themselves). A sequence shortly after Briony gets her powers, which sees Vulvarine undertake her heroic duties by stopping manspreading on the bus, and dancing at a child's sparsely attended birthday party, elevates the plot, and from then on it never comes back down to earth. And Allie Munro is completely brilliant in the title role, channeling Bridget Jones, if she'd gotten her hands on a copy of Laura Bates' Everyday Sexism.

Jamie Mawson and Allie Munro in Vulvarine: A New Musical
Photo credit - Fay Summerfield

The ensemble cast of Vulvarine perfectly channels the over the top tone of the musical, embracing all of its silliness, and pushing their melodramatic performances just far enough. They also sing up a storm. Memorably, The Mansplainer, who is obsessed with The Greatest Showman and infatuated with its star Hugh Jackman, shows off his own showmanship in a Disney Villain level bad guy song, performed by a gleefully maniacal Robyn Grant. Meanwhile Briony and Jamie Mawson's Orson sing a brilliant love duet whilst trapped inside invisible 'lazar cages' in The Mansplainer's lair.

At a time when superheros have never been more popular, Vulvarine: A New Musical lovingly mocks all of the staple superhero movie tropes, and the machismo which underlines many of Marvel and DC's offerings, whilst spreading an important feminist message, wrapped in a script so perfectly bonkers that it's impossible not to love! This is one marvelous new musical which needs to be seen! 

Review - Tom and Bunny Save the World (UK Tour)

After running into each other in the midst of an ensuing zombie apocalypse, Tom and Bunny Save the World's titular duo band together and embark on a riotous road trip from London all the way up to Yorkshire, an apparent safe zone. Tom's a nerdy Tom Trumps enthusiast, whilst Bunny's a boisterous teacher trying to deal with the guilt of sleeping with her girlfriend's dad. Tom's packed a survival kit, Bunny's packed a baseball bat in a sling. As an apocalypse facing team, they're a bit of an odd match, but that's what makes them such perfect heroes in this very 2018 zombie epic from Fat Rascal Theatre.

Zombie pop culture aficionados, will notice plenty of lovingly borrowed plot points from some of the the most well known properties of the 2000s slipped seamlessly into this kooky hour long supernatural extravaganza. It borrows its zombie epidemic origin story from 28 Days Later, there's a hunt for a cure a la the first season of The Walking Dead, Zombieland's survival tips are reworded (panic stricken public are advised "never assume your zed is dead", a tip which anyone in an end-of-the-world situation would do well to remember), and of course, the humour and bizarreness of the definitive zom-com, Shaun of the Dead, is at the heart of the piece.

As the musical comedy's eponymous survivor, Robyn Grant is hilarious and totally believable, with her carpe diem attitude and no nonsense survival plan. Grant, who is also responsible for Tom and Bunny Save the World's laugh a minute book and lyrics, is undoubtedly one to watch, with a killer voice and whip smart comedic timing perfectly suited for musical comedy. Jamie Mawson is equally entertaining as Bunny's fumbling foil. With his priceless expressions and equally skillful vocals, the audience will be rooting for Tom despite his obvious ineptitude. 

But they're not alone on their quest. Tom and Bunny are joined by farmhand Gareth, a vet and fellow northerner who Bunny takes an immediate shine too, as well as Pearl, a pregnant science professor, and Kai, a gruff military figure with a mysterious past. And watching from a secret facility somewhere in Scotland is Mike, a man charged with nuking the country if things get too out of hand. Dramatic stuff!

The cast of six work tirelessly from beginning to end, propelling the rollicking story forward at breakneck pace, multi roling a bunch of brilliant characters which affectionately mock the UK's regional stereotypes, and singing along as they go. It must be said that while the songs are cleverly written and masterfully performed, there's no real earworm for the audience to hum on their way out, but they're all serviceable numbers and encapsulate the frantic pace of the story very well

Based on their previous productions, if there's one thing Fat Rascal Theatre excels at especially well it's injecting truly hilarious comedic situations with apt social commentary, and Tom and Bunny Save the World is no exception. The musical comments on the very real class divide which is always making headlines, and is at the forefront of many minds at this particularly politically rocky time, but still manages to deliver plenty of oddball humour to keep the tone light throughout.

There's never a dull scene in Tom and Bunny Save the World. Even one of the musical's most gasp inducing moments, when Luke Dunford's Gareth reveals that he has been bitten by a zombie and doomed to a fate worse than death, also doubles as one of its funniest. The image of Gareth's limbs twitching as he bemoans Bunny's rejection of his romantic advances whilst transforming into a brain eater is one of the musical's most uproarious moments.

The musical's ending arrives quite abruptly, teasing its audience with an intriguing cliffhanger which cries out for a sequel. Tom and Bunny Save the World provides unrelenting mayhem and brilliant fun, delivered by an enthusiastic cast of comedians who never miss a beat. For sharp musical comedy, you can't do much better than this!

Review - Puss In Boots (Drayton Arms Theatre)

It's Christmastime! Tis the season for demolishing mince pies 24/7, last minute Christmas panic buying, and fraught family outings to the local theatre to take in a panto. Be it Cinderella, Mother Goose,  Aladdin or some other classic panto tale, there's no doubt that a family pantomime trip spent observing a sea of primary colour tights and dodging projectile Quality Streets for an hour or three is a pretty unmissable part of the holiday festivities. However, while the average pantomime may be touted as fun for all ages, for those who like their pantos with a little bit of extra filth, Rat Rascal Theatre's audacious adult take on Puss In Boots is the perfect solution. 

Just as any panto worth its salt features a couple of cheesy, jazz hand embellished musical numbers, Puss In Boots features a number of witty original songs, with hummable music and hilarious lyrics by James Ringer-Beck and Robyn Grant. 

Grant also narrates the piece, about a hapless young boy peasant named Colin who hears a mysterious voice urging him to put a pair of boots on his cat's feet in order to achieve greatness. Her bawdy yet affable narrator ensures that the audience is on board with the panto's crude comedy even before the show has begun, chatting to audience members and even making up impromptu ditties about some of them. A select number of audience members even find themselves inserted into the piece in some way or another, thanks to an improv game which is woven into the plot cleverly and involves a lot of audience participation. 

The cast as a whole are very likable, with each actor bringing energy and humour to a myriad of characters. Puss, the grungy titular anthropomorphic cat, is brought to life boisterously by Rosie Raven, while Allie Munro plays Puss' dopey owner Colin and Phoebe Batteson-Brown is delightful as Princess Fififi, a character who really comes into her own in act 2! 

Of course, all pantos need a good villain, and Fat Rascal Theatre's Puss In Boots has perhaps the most entertaining yet repulsive villain of all, the obnoxious King George. Father of Princess Fififi and master of James Ringer-Beck's long suffering squire Busby, King George is a detestable villain, who fills both the other characters and the audience with abhorrence. King George is a very blatant parody of one of 2016's most controversial figures. From the navy suit and red tie,  down to to an obsession with 'tweeting' (via a small toy bird), the parallels to Donald Trump are innumerable, and somewhat worryingly accurate. In fact, many of his jokes are comprised solely of actual Trump quotes, which naturally gives many punchlines an uneasy undertone. Nevertheless, the character is the source of many laughs and is played excellently by Katie Wells. 

The panto itself is totally uninhibited entertainment (a lot of mileage is gotten out of 'pussy' jokes!) but with a surprisingly sincere finale! Featuring many references to this year's most talked about topics, the script is full of razor sharp observational humour which results in a lot of shared laughs and knowing looks between audience members. 

A riotous laugh-a-minute adult panto, filled with clever twists and turns, brilliantly catchy songs and excellent comedic performances, Fat Rascal Theatre's Puss In Boots is unmissable Christmas entertainment!

Visit www.fatrascaltheatre.com for more information and to buy tickets

Q&A - Robyn Grant (Buzz: A New Musical)

Up and coming theatre company Fat Rascal is currently shocking audiences at the Drayton Arms Theatre with their audacious show Buzz: The Musical, a feminist piece which celebrates women's independence and sexuality. The show has already made waves, having received a slew of positive reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and it looks set to wave waves in London too. 

Having just opened the show, Robyn Grant (actress and writer of Buzz: A New Musical) talks about her 'naughty little world changing musical' and perfectly sums up the ongoing need for feminist theatre which celebrates woman and normalised women's sexuality.

It’s so exciting to see a young theatre company producing such interesting, socially relevant content. How did Fat Rascal Theatre form?
Fat Rascal Theatre was formed by myself and a collection of East 15 graduates in 2015. A fat rascal is a large scone popular in the north of England and we hold the same values. Affordable, hearty and soul filling. We're using the very accessible mediums of musical theatre and comedy to get more people engaged in thought-provoking theatre. So often people are put off by political theatre as they feel it's not for them and we hope to change that!

How did the history of a vibrator become the basis for a new musical?

I started research on the vibrator after watching the 2011 film 'Hysteria' and was amazed that I had never heard this incredible story before. As I dug deeper I discovered research on the dildo all the way back to the Stone Age. So often I get asked 'why do we need a musical about the history of the vibrator?' I'll tell you why. Because it's about so much more than that. It's about the untold story of female sexual oppression through the ages and how finally, in 2016, it's beginning to be ok for a woman to stand up and say "I am a sexual being and I don't have a man". And it's a musical because we're British and if it wasn't done through silly songs we'd all run away and cry and make cups of tea just to do something with our hands.

Buzz: A New Musical is a feminist piece of theatre which explores female sexuality. Despite progress in this area, it is still quite a taboo subject. To what extent do you think that female sexuality is a controversial topic today?
The British attitude to sex is ridiculous. We're still generally an embarrassed nation, especially when you get out of our big cities. We need to talk about sex and sexuality, women need to feel like they can be sexual beings in the same way that men can. The difference in acceptance of male masturbation and female masturbation is odd. Funnily enough, it's mainly women that have the problem with it! There’s a lot of shame and embarrassment around the topic. Some girls I spoke to told me ‘Well I don’t need to masturbate, I have a boyfriend”. Female sexuality is always associated with the pleasure or approval of a man. If a woman dresses provocatively or openly discusses her sexuality she is seen as an easy target for men or to be desiring their attention. 

How will Buzz: A New Musical help to challenge the negative and tabooed perceptions of female sexuality?
Buzz explores the little known fact that women have been masturbating since the beginning of time. As technology has advanced so has our ability to do so. People have to know that in the 70's the magic wand wasn't just thought up it was developed after thousands of years of prototypes. The clitoris hasn't suddenly popped out recently. Our grandmothers didn't wake up one morning and think 'gosh what's that between my legs'. Only recently has the clitoris been properly studied. Why in sex education aren't kids taught about it? Why do we watch cartoons of women laying on their back, taking a few hefty pumps to make a baby when our bodies are so much more capable than that? If anything women are designed to be able to have more sex than men and for pleasure rather than just function! Buzz explores the sexual women of history and will hopefully make the women of today feel a little more comfortable about it all knowing that it is and always has been perfectly normal. 

Do you think that the subject of female sexuality becoming more visible in theatre today?
I think that feminism is currently a 'hot topic' and thus we are seeing more work on female sexuality. However it's still seen as, 'a feminist work' rather than just 'a show about a woman and not a man'. Until there are just as many female parts and feminist theatre is just the norm there is a problem. At the moment it all still feels a little "I went to see a feminist play, aren't I cultured, now off I pop to watch five west end shows with majority male casts where a woman with nice legs might appear for the men to fight over and I won't bat an eyelid because that's normal'. But that's commercial theatre for you! It sells. The Brits like their classics. And until investors and producers become brave enough to put on risky 'feminist work' in a commercial setting this won't change. 

And as such, is feminist theatre is becoming more accessible? 
Slowly yes. However there's still a major problem within our industry. From the second you start drama classes in school it’s blatantly obvious there are more girls interested in acting than boys, this continues at drama school auditions and then into the industry. Despite this however there are far fewer opportunities for women and therefore we have become very disposable in modern theatre. This is not true only for actors, but for technicians, writers, composers, directors, and producers. In professional theatre there are hardly any women in positions of power. Women not only compete for less jobs but are judged on an entirely different scale. Because of the sheer number of women, casting directors can be as picky as they like and sadly it all comes down to appearance. Things are changing slowly, we are seeing more and more fantastic female artists emerging and I just hope that by creating a show for women, about women, by women, I can do my little bit.

The musical’s protagonist Angie seems like an everywoman, who audiences will relate to. Is she based on anyone in particular?
Angie is a little bit of me and a little bit of what I feel represents a woman of 2016. She's a voice for our generation of women, a real, honest one. A 22-year-old Miranda Hart. Allie Munro who plays Angie is a wonderful comedic actress who pours a lot of herself into the role too. She's gorgeous and she's hilarious and she doesn't have to self deprecate to be so. I think everybody will be able to see a bit of themselves in Angie and will at least once turn to their friend and say 'Oh my god I've done that!"

What’s next for the musical? 
I'd love to tour Buzz around the UK, especially up to the North. London is so spoilt with its vast variety of theatre whereas the rest of the country is treated to another revival of Oklahoma. When Buzz went to Leeds in Edinburgh previews we got such an amazing response. Theatre in every variety needs to be accessible for everyone. But in short nothing's confirmed yet. Pretty certain we're gonna get loads of dollar and arena tour it by January, but every day at a time. In the words of Cher, 'You haven't seen the last of me' or my naughty little world changing vibrator musical.

You can catch Buzz: A New Musical at the Drayton Arms Theatre, Tuesdays to Fridays until 29th October. Visit the Drayton Arms Theatre website for more information and to book tickets.