Review: LICENSED TO ILL, Southwark Playhouse, 2 December 2016

Jukebox musicals seem to be as popular as ever in the West End. Mamma Mia! is coming close to two decades in London, and newcomers like Motown the Musical are extending their runs. With audiences returning year after year, there is unquestionably an audience for ABBA. Licensed to Ill raises a question which a different band faced: is there an audience for the Beastie Boys? When I first heard there was a musical about this hip-hop group, I'll admit I questioned whether there was an audience for the show itself. Well, "Ch-Check It Out": there is. This evolution of the Beastie Boys is a revolution for the London stage and storytelling.

Following a sold-out run at Camden People's Theatre and a tour, Simon Maeder, Adam El Hagar and Daniel Foxsmith reprise their roles as Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock, aka the Beastie Boys. Chronicling the band's rise and their discography, Licensed to Ill also explores the progression of hip-hop as a genre. Decades of music and memories are condensed into just over an hour, with the action moving at an energetic, almost hurtling pace. This makes the abrupt end all the more shocking for audiences not familiar with the band's personal lives. There is a slight dip leading up to "Sound of Science", but Consultant Director Tid's pacing does allow the show, the audience and actors some time to breathe.

Where Licensed to Ill diverges from the jukebox musical is its experimental approach to storytelling. Originally conceived and created by the company, the story contains multiple narrative voices. For the most part, the plot is chronological and the narrators are the three core characters. It is their chronology which differs: sometimes it's the present with the Beastie Boys experiencing the highs of fame, at others it's a reflective Beastie Boys looking back on the history of hip-hop.

The visual storytelling is similarly striking. Jemima Robinson's graffittied set could be any street corner in New York; Tim Mascall's lighting transforms this and the intimate Southwark Playhouse, which becomes an arena, into the set for a music video, and even a subway. It's an immersive but wholly inclusive experience: everything is part of telling the story, even the audience (for a lucky few who get selected!).

Having only heard one song by the band before going, Maeder, El Hagar and Foxsmith are now the Beastie Boys in my mind. Never missing a beat (unless on purpose), they bounce off each other both lyrically and physically. They make everything look effortless even as they spit rhyme after rhyme. All three play their own instruments in the show, providing live music with DJ Tope Mikun. Mikun plays almost every other role, creating distinct characters with little costume changes to signify. All four are excellent comedians, so if you're not singing out loud, you certainly will be laughing.

At the start, I said that the jukebox is a popular genre for musicals. Even more popular at the moment? Hip-hop. Thanks to Hamilton more and more US theatre audiences are engaging with this musical genre. Perhaps the Beastie Boys have found a new audience after all with Licensed to Thrill, a tribute, celebration and introduction.

Licensed to Ill at Southwark Playhouse until 24 December

Picture credit: Helen Maybanks

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