Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens
Leicester Square Theatre (Lounge)
Reviewed on Wednesday 7th August
As soon as I stepped into the Lounge space at the Leicester Square Theatre I could tell I was in for a slightly 'different' night at the theatre. Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens premiered at the 1995 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has since gained a cult following. After seeing this 'unique' show I completely understand why.
The story is slightly ridiculous and follows various characters in a seedy cabaret club on the planet Frottage III who meet the Space Vixens. Prior to the performance beginning, the audience are treated to a pre-show cabaret. At the performance I saw, singer Lauren Osborn was faced with the tough challenge of warming up the audience. Her natural charm and powerful vocals certainly did the trick, she almost had the entire audience singing along.
Once the musical had actually began it took me quite a while to get used to the quirkiness of the piece. The humour verges on filthy and the characters are stereotyped to the max and are totally crazy. Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens is certainly one of these shows that some people will get and others will not. Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan but I do understand why some people love it.
The show created a party atmosphere, audience members heckled the cast throughout, giving the show an adult panto feel. A stand out performance came from the Olivier Award winning Leanne Jones as Bunny Lingus. I couldn't get enough of her powerhouse vocals, somebody needs to cast her in another West End musical immediately. Jamie Birkett shines as Jubilee Climax, she also has a strong voice and is hilarious as the show reaches its climax. The entire cast seem to love every minute and bounce well off the audience.
Including the pre-show cabaret, the running time for Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens is two and a half hours. The first interval (between the pre-show cabaret and the first act) is unnecessary and a few musical numbers could easily be cut as the show drags in places.
The score features a handful of incredibly catchy melodies, especially the show's anthem 'All I Need Is Disco'. While it feels like the number is reprised hundreds of times, it certainly does the trick because even I left humming the song. Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens would make the perfect start to a wild night out. The show is not meant to be taken seriously and is just a bit of weird and wonderful, light hearted fun.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
Please visit www.leicestersquaretheatre.com for further information and tickets.
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