Muriel's Wedding The Musical at Curve Leicester Review
G'Day! The semi-jukebox Australian musical makes its UK premiere this Spring
Weddings gone wrong have long served as inspiration for contemporary musicals, in particular jukebox hits the likes of Mamma Mia and most recently, I Should Be So Lucky; but the concept isn’t exclusive to English and American audiences, as proved by 1994 Australian film Muriel’s Wedding following its screen-to-stage adaptation first staged in Sydney in 2017, now making its British debut on the esteemed Leicester Curve stage.
The story follows the eponymous Muriel Heslop, a young social outcast rejected by her circle of egotistical friends Tania (Helen Hill – an accurately sassy performance), Nicole (Jasmine Beel), Janine (Jasmine Twells) and Cheryl (Lillie-Pearl Wildman) – familiar of Mean Girls – dreams of a married life one day and escapes from her hometown of Porpoise Spit to Sydney to do so; she encounters numerous roadblocks along the way, spiced up by giddy personalities throughout PJ Hogan’s sitcom-style book, translated with quick-witted comedic timing from screen to stage, retaining a healthy number of ABBA songs alongside original music, too. The reason? Just as in the film, the iconic group acts as a source of hope whenever Muriel stares at the band posters on her bedroom wall, as each of the four members come to life delivering renditions of classic numbers as voices in her head, not dissimilar to the way pop icons are utilised in Becoming Nancy (for which its lead Joseph Peacock in the recent UK premiere is coincidentally part of this cast).
Unlike Mamma Mia, which fully utilises the ABBA catalogue in context of its story, the show features an original score by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall, an eccentric pop sound, orchestrated by Issac Hayward with electric influences, synths and even some rap elements, performed by a nine-piece band, with ten ABBA numbers rendered by four camp ‘band members’, Aaron Tsindos (Benny), Jamie Doncaster (Björn), Bronte Alice-Tadman (Frida) and Jasmine Hackett (Agnetha). Musical numbers are characterised by a mix of power ballads and upbeat commercial motifs, a handful easily memorable, from the opening number Sunshine State of Mind (with lyrics on brand with the show’s tagline – big, brash and (quite) cheeky) to the anthemic Sydney, audiences go bopping along to the beats at one moment and cackles in stitches at the next.
Director Simon Phillips maintains an exaggerated, over-the-top style throughout, working with Andrew Hallsworth’s fun, surfboard-inspired choreography. Their vision is brought to life nightly by a 24-strong company (plus four offstage swings covering a variety of roles), led by rising star Megan Ellis in the titular role, who not only brings an infectiously joyous voice, but also offers charming chemistry with Ethan Pascal Peters (Brice Nobes), and with Annabel Marlow in the role of Muriel’s newfound best friend and wingwoman Rhonda Epinstall, the two both as characters and actors sharing friendship moments through song. There is an underexplored dynamic with Alexander Shkuratov (original cast member Stephen Madsen), a closeted Olympic swimmer Muriel ends up marrying – who only makes his first appearance late in the second act but delivers unfiltered one-liners.
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The Heslop family provides another antagonistic counterpoint, headed up by patriarch/entrepreneur Bill (Darren Day) and desperate housewife Betty (Laura Medforth – performing a heartfelt rendition of SOS). Among the flawed trio of siblings, Lena Pattie Jones carries the duty of delivering the iconic line ‘You’re terrible Muriel!’ as Joanie (does so multiple times too), alongside stereotypical football lads Perry and Malcolm, played by Jacob Warner and Joseph Peacock respectively.
Hogan’s book, updated with an emphasis on today’s drastic impacts of social media, presents an eclectic range of personalities that are enjoyable to watch; there are some attempts at more sincere undertones, yet they are cut off by contrasting tongue-in-cheek moments, which at times interrupt flow, nonetheless the use of music lifts and projects character voices as suited to each scene.
In true Made at Curve fashion, the production plays out on a bold, neon-lit portal set designed by Matt Kinley, flying in and out timed with moving video walls on which Andrezj Goulding’s visual graphics are projected, sliding along the vast stage on each scene and location change. Ironically despite on-the-day pre-show technical difficulties, the team impressively delivers to all the technical demands, once again proving the venue’s capabilities and the calibre of its in-house talent; A special ‘Wedding Seat’ experience also offers a lucky few audience members at each performance a rare glimpse of Curve’s inner workings, and a chance to be part of the titular scene onstage!
For fans of the film, the musical is a trip down memory lane, an Australian story brought forth onto the global stage; but for those new to Muriel’s story of self-acceptance, the musical caters for and uplifts all types of audiences – the wedding might be off this Spring, but the show is a joyful crowd-pleaser for sure.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Muriel’s Wedding The Musical plays at Curve Theatre, Leicester until 10 May. For more information and to book tickets, visit the venue website.
Tickets and Accessibility
🎟️ Tickets were kindly gifted by the venue with expectation of an honest, non-biased review. All opinions remain those of the writer, without any input or approval from the venue or producers. Standard tickets are priced from £10, with discounts available for Members, Under 16s, 16-25 and Student Members and Curve Connect members (both through a free membership).
♾️ The show features a generally loud soundscape due to continuous music and some sound effects throughout. Show warnings advise of the use of confetti and loud canons. At the reviewed performance timings of sudden loud noises are as follows: