NEW MUSICAL ‘Starter for Ten’ was enthusiastically received last year at its premiere by audiences at the Bristol Old Vic but received mixed press reviews.

The show’s co-writers and lyricists Emma Hall and Charlie Parham got to work upgrading and their new re-imagined vision of  David Nicholls much loved novel boomed into  life at the REP press night.

Amongst other upgrades there are eight new songs and new choreography. I didn’t see the original, but for me last night had ‘Take me to the West End’ written all over it. It was slick, funny, poignant and a joyous watch from start to finish.

Adam Bregman is a tour-de-force as Brian, the Essex boy central character who is the first person from his family and mates to go to university.  Brian is clever, a bit nerdy and socially awkward, making it difficult for him to fit in.

Bregman radiates the whole gambit of emotions as Brian indulges in several of the seven deadly sins in his voyage of self-discovery at Bristol University.

Sadly, Brian’s father died before seeing his son’s academic success. The two of them used to watch University Challenge together on television and both for his own dream fulfilment and to honour his dead dad, Brian vows to join the Bristol University team.

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One of the first people Brian meets is another freshman, Rebecca, a feisty Glaswegian socialist played with grit, attitude and a lovable vulnerability by Asha Parker-Wallace. Any chance of an instant love match is dashed, when Brian meets posh, buxom, blonde and beautiful Alice from Jilly Cooper’s Cotswolds during auditions for the University Challenge team. She is played with oodles of entitlement and a ‘Glenda from Wicked’ attitude by Imogen Craig.

Not surprisingly, Alice doesn’t reciprocate Brian’s advances but rather uses him to help bolster her chances of making the team.

Also in the squad is full-on captain and would be TV star Patrick, played with exuberantly annoying nerdiness by Will Jennings and the billy-no-mates- socially inept Lucy – a stand-out performance from Miracle Chance who makes the very best of the smallest role.

The story evolves over a year of angst, pranks, tantrums and bonding. It follows their successes and failures (especially Brian’s) all under the umbrella of the mighty TV show University Challenge. Stephen Ashfield is majestic in his role as pin-up-boy compere – the legendary Bamber Gascoigne. Comedienne and presenter Mel Giedroyc is warm, tender and simply wondrous as Brian’s Mother and hilarious as Julia Bland, Bamber’s behind-the-scenes overseer of the University Challenge competition. There is not a weak link in the rest of the company.

Charlie Parham directs his own show with skill and obvious love and affection for the whole concept and company, Alexzandra Sarmiento’s choreography is bold and imaginative and Les Newby’s set and costumes slick, colourful and – erm – meet the challenge!

A special shout-out to the band, they really rock under the baton and fingers-on-buzzers – sorry, I mean keyboard – of MD Honor Halford-Macleod.

It’s great to see new musicals and I’m convinced ‘Starter for Ten’ has the legs for the London lights and maybe beyond. The story is quite faithful to the book and the 80s style songbook has some numbers that should make ‘Elaine Paige on Sunday’ and from there into the musical theatre grapevine.

‘Starter for Ten’ (unlike many other new musicals today) has a beginning, a middle and an end. It has a moral compass at its heart and is all the happier an outing for it.

It thoroughly deserves its roaring standing ovation and my five stars

Starter For Ten runs at the Birmingham REP until next Saturday, November 1. Click here for times, tickets and more information.

 

*****

 Review by Euan Rose

Euan Rose Reviews