BWW Reviews: WAG! THE MUSICAL, Charing Cross Theatre, July 24 2013

Two shopgirls (their words not mine!), Jenny and Sharron, dream of a life of glitz and glamour like those they see detailed, day by day, in the glossy magazines on supermarket shelves. They would escape their drudgery under the thumb of their martinet manager, Mr Frank, and be free to buy all the shoes they carry in the store. When real-life WAG Zoe turns up for a new product launch, followed by others and a footballer who is closer to Jenny than he'd like people to know, the shopgirls have some choices to make.

So it's not West Side Story... but nobody said it was. It's a diverting couple of hours of easy entertainment with a jab or two at footballers, celebrities, Loose Women, Now magazine and plenty more soft targets. Holding it together as Jenny and Sharron, Daisy Wood-Davis and Amy Scott sing well and capture the spirit of working class young women very well - a much under-represented demographic on the London stage.

If the songs are pleasant enough and the plot comfortably predictable, the energy of the show comes from the cameos. Real-life WAG Lizzie Cundy sings well and vamps it up outrageously, staying just the right side of becoming the new Fenella Fielding. Tim Flavin as department store manager Mr Frank Camps it up plenty, staying just the right side of becoming the new Kenneth Williams. Best of the lot, edging out Katie Kerr as the Primark Princess Blow-Jo, is Alyssa Kyria, who delivers her Adriadne the Greek WAG turn as a wise-cracking show within a show.

Wag! The Musical is great summertime entertainment for readers of the magazines that overflow with the comings and of celebrities from the Z-list upwards. It's not biting social satire, nor does it illustrate the soul of man - it's a rags-to-riches story with some songs and some laughs. And why not?

Wag! The Musical continues at Charing Cross Theatre until 24 August.

To post a comment, you must register and login.