Review: Geek! A New Musical at the Tristan Bates Theatre

Geek! A New Musical 
Tristan Bates Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 24th April 2013

Geek is a musical which should not be taken seriously, I am still in complete shock. During the interval I overheard a lady say "It's like a High School Musical for adults with a dirty sense of humour" and she was spot on. Geek makes fun out of musical theatre as well as stereotypical American high school culture. 

During the final musical number the cast sing about how the show has a loose story but it doesn't matter because "we put a smile on your face" which is very apt. The storyline follows the day to day life of an American high school with particular focus on new girl Jane who struggles to settle in.

Scott Morgan's writing style is wacky and unique with absolutely no boundaries whatsoever! Perhaps it sometimes goes a little too far but Geek certainly has the 'shock factor'. The music is catchy and varied but consistently has an identifiable sound. I think the show could probably be a bit shorter as this would increase the pace, making the show even funnier and more exciting. Scott has made some brave decisions and taken a few risks, all of which pay off. Most of the audience seemed to love the show and laughed loudly from beginning to end. 

The Tristan Bates Theatre has been completely transformed for this production. The theatre is absolutely tiny but the space has been used well. The set design is clever, however a few scene changes looked a little messy. During two solo ballads, a large piece of set was turned around which was highly distracting, I looked around and most people's focus seemed to be on the moving set instead of the performance. I am unsure whether this was the desired effect - to coincide with the ongoing theme of making fun of musicals. If this is the case more should be made of it, otherwise these scene changes should be done once the solo performances have ended. 

Mark Parton's choreography is big and bold. During the big cast numbers the execution was not always slick and precise but I am sure this will improve over the run. When the cast performed together vocally they sounded amazing! Some of the solo vocal performances were a little shaky in places.

A stand out performance comes from Anna Haresnape as Jane. She portrays the character's journey well and sings beautifully. The most outrageous performance comes from CJ de Mooi as Ms Axel, a school teacher who is always drunk and swearing at pupils. CJ pulls hilarious facial expressions and even during ensemble scenes I could not take my eyes off him.

Geek is extremely offensive and is not a show for everyone. I went with a friend who is not a fan of musicals but during the interval she became impatient as she was desperate for the second half to begin, so I think Geek reaches out to a very different type of audience. Some people will be able to appreciate how Geek 'takes the mick' out of musical theatre while others will not get it at all. Forget The Book of Mormon, Geek is now the most offensive show in London.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

andrew@westendframe.com

Geek! A New Musical runs at the Tristan Bates Theatre until 18th May 2013. 

Please visit www.geekmusical.co.uk for further information and to book tickets.

Photo Credit: Darren Bell Photography 

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