Becoming Nancy – Theatre Review

Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the Rep to attend the first preview last night of the new musical Becoming Nancy, which is a wonderful coming of age story based on the novel of the same name by Terry Ronald.

All four of us headed into Birmingham city centre to see the show, and we all really enjoyed ourselves as the cast transported us to a London high school in 1979, and main character David Starr’s dilemma of being cast as Nancy in the school production of Oliver. The original novel is born from the what if? of the decision that the author Terry didn’t take when presented with the same challenge as a teen. Rather than turn it down, David accepts the role and has to deal with the inevitable bullying at school, as well as the resulting upheaval that this one decision has on his life, as he is forcibly kicked out of the closet.

The 1970s were not an easy time to be either gay or black (as David’s best friend, Frances, is), and the problems of bullying, homophobia, and racism still affect society today, especially with the rise of social media and bullies that hide behind their keyboards spewing spite. Despite it being set decades in the past, the themes of this story still feel very current. They don’t shy away from depicting the harsh realities of the issues, or from the struggles that each character deals with as they navigate their own coming of age journey.

Mixed in with the difficulties of being a gay teen dealing with family & school drama, is the hope and joy of first love, and the liberating feeling of being brave enough to say “this is who I am, and I’m a risk worth taking”, rather than hiding behind lies or closed doors. The trio of David, love interest Maxie, and Frances all have their own moments of discovery, strife and triumph throughout the show.

Becoming Nancy is filled with so many funny moments (with some fairly British humour at times) in addition to some of the most heartwarming and touching moments I’ve seen on stage; one moment you are laughing uproariously at his birthday cake inadvertently declaring him to be a queen, and not long afterwards you are sympathising with the loneliness of going home alone and being disappointed in love. It was a rollercoaster of emotions that kept us glued to our seats and gave us a wonderful ride.

David’s imagination even took to the stage, as his bedroom posters depicting his pop idols came to life, and the audience were treated to Blondie, Sting and Kate Bush throwing in their opinions on what he should do – in the form of a song, of course. This was cleverly done with masterful staging, and the three of them had the audience in stitches multiple times with their characterisations.

The cast members switching between those characters and their main roles must have been changing so rapidly backstage at times, that I feel like they should get extra recognition just for that! It wasn’t just their clothes that changed either, as each of them transformed totally in terms of their mannerisms, and completely embodied their pop star alter egos.

Unfortunately there was a pause in the show due to a medical emergency, but the cast dealt with the interruption wonderfully and didn’t let it upset the momentum of the story. In fact, all of the cast were excellent throughout the whole show, with particular standouts being Joseph Peacock in the main role of David Starr, Paige Peddie as the best friend Frances, and Stephen Ashfield as drama teacher Hamish McClarnon. Every single cast member impressed us as they told David’s tale and sang their hearts out.

As for the more material things, the set was great, transforming from a school hall to a 70s kitchen in moments, and the costumes were a divine celebration of 70s fashion, using a mixture of vintage clothing and tailored reproductions, finished off with an array of accessories.

Directed by Tony award winning director Jerry Mitchell, this Joyous new musical is definitely worth watching, with its wonderful music, fantastic cast, and feel-good happy ending.

You can get a taste of it with the cast recording EP featuring a handful of the tracks, which is streaming online now – I, for one, am hoping that they will do a full recording as I enjoyed so many of the songs. I definitely left the theatre with Have You Ever Had A Love Like This? firmly in my head, and I really wish they had included Abigail Henson in the EP.

Lydia says: I think that the show was brilliant! The cast was amazing, the songs were spectacular and everything else in between was just as incredible. All the characters are played so well by their actors and the story is really captivating. My favourite characters are probably Maxie, Tony (Squirrel) and Frances. Overall I think the show was very funny, and a good recommendation for fans of things like Heartstopper and other LGBTQ+ stories.

Georgie says: It was amazing, especially the enjoyable songs. Perfect for people who enjoy LGBTQ+ and/or coming-of-age fictions

Becoming Nancy is on at Birmingham Rep until Saturday 2nd November, and I definitely recommend it! The show is around 2 hours 25 minutes long, and is recommended for ages 11+; Lydia is 11 & Georgie 13, and they both loved it – although Lydia gave me a few “ooh that’s naughty” faces at some of the language or jokes! Tickets start from just £19.50.