Review: BADDIES: THE MUSICAL, Unicorn Theatre, 23 November 2016

When villains are too good at being bad, the Council of Bedtime Stories intervenes drastically to bring change in the world of fairy tales, so in order to keep doing their jobs in our beloved stories, the baddies need some good ol' rebranding. However, the risk is colossal. In a world where there are no villains at all, how will we know who the good guys are?

This journey in the lives of our childhood's most beloved evil characters is led by Nigel Barrett as the Big Bad Wolf, and it sees the adventure of Rumpelstiltskin (David McKay), the Ugly Sisters May and Fay (Ngo Ngofa and Karis Jack respectively), and Captain Hook (Cornell S John) while they struggle to remain bad and try to find out the truth behind their incarceration.

It takes a while for the show to warm up (at least it did on opening night), but once the actors have figured out what they want to say, Baddies starts to sparkle. Nigel Barrett's growly tones are perfect to convey the essence of the Big Bad Wolf, while Katie Rose O'Brien and Christian Roe's shallowness and double-cross storylines are a joy to witness. Karis Jack and Ngo Ngofa don't immediately tune in with each other, but when they do, their voices marry perfectly, while Cornell S John's interpretation of lawyer-turned-pirate Captain Hook is strong and blessed with bold comic timing.

However, from the beginning it's David McKay who steals the show. As a Scottish Rumplestiltskin with possible ADHD, he jumps around the stage, helping to shift the mood. Bringing a lot more to the table than simply their own "badness", every actor manages to add depth and humanity to characters that are too often portrayed without real dimension.

Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler's musical works - as confirmed by last year's sold-out run - and this year's prospects are very good, with Purni Morell's direction, David W Kidd's lighting and James Button's design accentuating the witty and sometimes unexpected dialogue and songs.

There's much more to this musical than just the fantastical story. In a world where we're constantly told that we need to change who we are, it's heart-warming to see a show aimed at children with the opposite message, arguing that our story, our own life, wouldn't be the same if we did. Every fairy tale needs a villain, after all, and with no bad there is no good either.

Baddies: The Musical at the Unicorn Theatre until 31 December

Photo by Helen Murray (c) Unicorn Theatre

To post a comment, you must register and login.