Fringe Review: MAN!FEST: THE DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL, The Green at Pleasance Courtyard
Photo credit: Rob Trendy
There are (at least) two drag-king boyband shows at the Fringe this year, so we wanted to make sure we caught at least one. We headed to Pleasance Courtyard to see MAN!FEST and we're very glad we did.
We weren't quite sure what to expect. We thought perhaps we'd be getting an hour of drag kings making the audience swoon as heartthrobs, with some cheesy boyband songs, a bit of choreography and plenty of comedy. And yes, there are absolutely cheesy songs and boyband choreography, as there bloody should be, but underneath all the fun there is a surprisingly strong story exploring toxic masculinity, celebrity culture, the pressures placed on performers and just how manipulative the machinery behind a successful pop group can become.
The story follows MAN!FEST, the world's biggest boyband, as they embark on their second tour and find themselves under increasing pressure from management to maintain the perfect image. As their teenage fans grow up and the band members begin to develop their own identities, the cracks in the manufactured fantasy start to appear.
Maddie Bell, Hollie Jameson-Clarke, Esther Dracott and Emily Benucci all give stellar performances, completely committing to their individual boyband archetypes while also bringing some fantastic vocals to the stage.
Our one small criticism would be the choreography. There are moments at the beginning where it could be tightened, particularly because part of the fun is watching the polished boyband image begin to fall apart later as the characters' individual personalities take over. A little more precision in those earlier numbers could make that contrast even stronger.
But ultimately, we had a really good time. MAN!FEST is funny, catchy and considerably more thoughtful than we initially expected, with a clever story hiding underneath all the bubblegum pop and boyband subject matter.
We're looking forward to seeing what OnTheNose Productions do next. Backstreet Boys eat your heart out, Man!fest is in town!
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
