Fringe review: I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL, theSpace @ Niddry St
At the Fringe, there are shows from the crack of dawn until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, shows find themselves in a slot that is perhaps not quite befitting for the show and its energy/vibe but we went to catch the 10.30pm viewing of I Was a Teenage She-Devil and this felt the perfect time for such a naughty show.
The story, created from the mind of Sean Matthew Whiteford, is an 80's musical set in a high school with high energy numbers and unrelenting comedy. The story follows Nancy Nelson (played with likability and punch by Faith Pasch) who is bullied by the popular girls at school and undergoes a transformation to get revenge. We've heard this story a 1000 times, right? However, what makes this story unique is when Nancy is crying in the toilet, it’s not a friend that comes to the rescue but Satan himself, quite literally rising up through the toilet seat. The role of Satan is played by Sean Arkless and Sean displays some of the most magnificent vocals you will have seen anywhere at the Fringe. Selling her soul to the devil, Nancy goes on a vengeance spree, quite literally murdering her way through the high school before her friends Debbie and Doobie come to rescue her. In a nutshell...
Whilst this is a three star review, we truly believe that this show has the potential to go on do extremely well. The songs are catchy, the storyline is exciting, and the general aura has all the makings of something that could develop a cult audience. We certainly warmed to the show as it went on and by about half way through, we were hooked, but we really struggled at the beginning.
The show opens with the song by Debbie who, some could argue, is also the main character. Whilst Lee Beka Harper clearly has wonderful vocals, we struggled to hear what was being said, be that through poor articulation or the sound mix, we aren’t sure, but when you miss important exposition as the audience at the beginning of the show, it can become difficult viewing. In general, the first few numbers of the show don’t seem settled and the character of Debbie seems a bit underdeveloped. We LOVE the queer storyline between Debbie and Nancy but we want more for the character than just doting on her friend; they look absolutely kick ass after all.
Every single member of the cast is incredibly talented, but our biggest gripe with the show is the direction. It appears that director Rachel Klein didn’t know how to fully utilise this unique, wide and unforgiving thrust staging that the venue provided. It's a large space, but has actors awkwardly running off and on and we were begging for more audience interaction in a show of this style.
Obviously this is Fringe and we understand how basic the set up for the shows are and how quick the turnaround is to get the show on stage, but we believe the best next step for this show will be to get it into a space that better suits the piece and hopefully the show can get the funding it deserves so that it can fully tell this twisted tale with all of the lights and fireworks that it needs.
Currently just a simmering flame...but with the right team in place, in time this show could raise hell in the West End!
Flaming with potential.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
