Full of younger queer pleasure, it’s exhausting to not really feel that exhibits like The Phase at VAULT Festival are the way forward for new British musical theatre writing
“I’m frustrated and I hate it”
I’m annoyed, primarily as a result of I couldn’t get to The Phase earlier than the tip of its run of exhibits at VAULT Festival and so I missed the possibility to rave about it while you continue to had the possibility to ebook your self in. But such is the standard of Zoe Morris and Meg McGrady’s exuberant pop-punk musical that you must hope and dream that this gained’t be the final we hear of the present.
Set in 2014 on the level the place homosexual marriage has simply been legalised within the UK, bandmates and greatest friends Aziza, Rowan, Sage and Ava are totally enthused and able to share their queer identities with the world. Only hassle is, they go to an all-girl Catholic secondary faculty who don’t even allow them to end their first music about two girls in love earlier than cracking down exhausting and attempting to muzzle them.
As they’re all totally different shades of adolescent emotion, there’s no hazard of all of them taking this mendacity down. But what The Phase does it to tug the main focus again just a bit to indicate how this drama intersects with a number of the realities of being an LGBTQ+ teenager (or ally). Coming out to folks, reassessing gender identities, suffocating nervousness assaults, desires of first kisses, this proves a jam-packed hour.
It additionally proves a extremely entertaining one too. Meg McGrady’s pop-punk-influenced rating is outrageously tuneful from the off (shoutout to musical director Amy Hsu and the nattily dressed band), stuffed with hummable hooks and a real confidence. And their lyrics, co-written with Morris, are incessantly actually very humorous certainly, intercourse ed talks and lovers’ tiffs by no means sounded so good.
It helps to have nearly as good a solid as this delivering the present too. The frankly marvellous Jocasta Almgill slays because the self-confident Aziza, and Ashley Goh nails the huge vocal and emotional vary of Rowan, their burgeoning relationship massively participating. Holly Ryan’s Sage and Gracie McGonigal’s Ava additionally take their moments to shine because the stability of the ensemble means there’s an actual egalitarian really feel throughout the corporate.
So yeah, Izzy Rabey’s manufacturing is a triumph, and an actual trailblazer in exhibiting how simple and necessary it’s to be really accessible with their vary of assist measures placing most different theatres and establishments to disgrace. This can’t be the final we hear of The Phase.
Running time: 60 minutes (with out interval)
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The Phase is reserving at VAULT Festival till twelfth March