Review: FANGIRLS, Lyric Hammersmith

Australian smash hit Fangirls encapsulates what it is to be a mega fan of something. A sequin-embellished adventure of obsession and desperation, Yve Blake’s musical reaches euphoric highs and gutting lows without ever losing its sense of fun.

Set in Sydney, Fangirls follows 14-year-old Edna (Jasmine Elcock), whose life revolves around British popstar Harry (Thomas Grant). Much like a certain One Direction heartthrob, he was put in a boyband on a TV talent show before shooting to international fame. Like many real life fans, Edna spends much of her time online, chatting with other fans and reading and writing fanfiction about the band. It’s an escape from her real life, where she feels out of place as a scholarship kid at a rich private school, and has fallen out with best friend Jules (Mary Malone) who finds her obsession immature. But when Harry’s band Heartbreak Nation announce a concert in her hometown, Edna’s life is turned upside down. 

Fangirls is a high-octane adventure from start to finish. Paige Rattray’s direction finds all the comedy and excitement in Blake’s book and makes it larger than life, with wild fanfic sequences that include a motorbike chase and a zombie apocalypse. A particular highlight of the show is the Act 2 opening, a 5 minute megamix of the Heartbreak Nation concert complete with phone torches and plenty of screaming.  Designer David Fleischer keeps the pop concert vibes going with stadium-style screens, brought to life by Ash J Woodward’s brilliant video design. The production is everything this show needs: sparkly, current, and fun.

Blake’s score is catchy, spanning full-scale MT group numbers, solo ballads, and pitch perfect boyband parody songs. Particular highlights include the reverent fan anthem Nobody, fanfic duet 'Feels So True', and the band’s 'Concert Medley', which features a hilarious take on the charity/political single (“Dance! And think of the children, / Some children are not okay!”). Much of the show’s electricity also comes from Ebony Williams’ choreography. Williams brings a spunky edge to many of the more dramatic numbers, as well as nailing the cliche boyband moves. It’s a joy to watch. 

Leading lady Jasmine Elcock is the perfect Edna - fresh out of drama school, she’s a believable teen, while also pulling off the character’s more unhinged side. Her voice fits the score well, smooth and pop-oriented but with the power to belt when needed. She bounces well off Mary Malone as Jules, whose exaggerated comedic beats get some of the show’s biggest laughs. Miracle Chance completes their trio of friends as Brianna, in a kooky performance that ends with some real pathos. As Edna’s mum Caroline, Debbie Kurup has the tricky job of staying grounded among the chaos: she gives a heartfelt rendition of maternal ballad ‘Brave Thing’. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Thomas Grant is every inch the teenage heartthrob. He oozes boyband swagger, flicking his hair and smouldering. There’s no weak link in sight: scene stealers include Terique Jarrett as online bestie ‘saltypringl’, and Gracie McGonigal as featured ensemble member Lily – or as many people described her in the interval ‘the riffing girl’. The programme mentions that the team spent five months casting and held open auditions – from the young, diverse talent on stage, it’s clear that it paid off. It also adds something that most of the cast are in their early twenties, and thus of the perfect age to have been a tween when One Direction were at their peak of fame.

Behind the glitzy chaos, Fangirls is a show with a remarkable amount of heart. Blake writes with a real empathy for and understanding of teenage fan culture. The show manages to get inside its characters’ heads,  taking their feelings seriously while still finding the humour and ridiculousness in their actions. The ultimate takeaway is that fan culture is all about unabashed love and community, and not just something silly and immature. As Blake explains in her popular TED talk, no one describes teen boy football fans as crazy – the disdain for fan culture is rooted in sexism. The show will make anyone who’s ever been a teenage girl or a mega fan feel very seen – especially if you grew up in the age of Tumblr and Wattpad. 

But this is a show that can be enjoyed just as much by audience members who’ve never heard of AO3 or watched a fancam. Fangirls has everything that you could want from modern musical theatre: it’s a visual spectacle, full of talented performers, catchy songs, impressive dance numbers, and an exciting story. It’s the definition of a feel-good night out at the theatre. Fangirls deserves the same fan-favourite treatment as recent hits like SIX and Heathers, and it seems to me that a West End transfer should be on the cards. I’m certainly a fan.

Fangirls runs at the Lyric Hammersmith until 24 August.

Photo Credits: Manuel Harlan

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