Cry-Baby

Arcola Theatre

Playing until 12th April 2025

Photo credit: Charlie Flint

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Everyone knows the cult classic musical Hairspray, based on John Waters’s equally cult movie of the same name. But chances are, you won’t be so familiar with Cry-Baby, the musical based off another of Waters’s movies based on the trials and tribulations of teenage life in America.

Allow this new production at the Arcola Theatre to introduce you to our gaggle of youths in 1950s Baltimore: the squeaky clean “squares” and the tough-as-nails “drapes”, led by infamous delinquent Wade “Cry Baby” Walker (Adam Davidson). The gangs’ two distinct worlds are soon set on a collision course as Cry Baby wins the heart of reluctant good-girl Allison (Lulu-Mae Pears), whose repressive upbringing has left her itching to ditch the immaculate baton twirling for good.

In many ways, Cry-Baby is a pastiche of other classic teen romance musicals like Grease, reflected in Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan’s tongue-in-cheek book as well as in Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum’s punchy music and lyrics. The music has a familiar warmth to it that makes the songs immediately catchy, while Javerbaum’s cheeky lyricism sparkles in beautifully silly songs such as ‘Girl Can I Kiss You With Tongue’ and ‘All In Your Head’.

It’s an immensely fun musical, and director Mehmet Ergen’s production ignites it with kilowatts of energy, supported by a truly electric cast. As burgeoning rulebreaker Allison, Pears gives us sugar-sweet vocals and innocent vulnerability, while also bringing out the satirical parts of the character, particularly in her standout solo ‘I’m Infected’, to provide a lot of laughs.

Davidson is a super-slick Cry Baby, delivering high-octane vocals and dance moves with glossy precision in crowd-pleasing numbers like ‘A Little Upset’. Although, as a fan of the original film myself, I would have liked to see him channel a bit more of Johnny Depp’s classic pouty aloofness. It felt like Cry Baby was being played quite straight when compared to the other over-the-top archetypal teenagers.

Speaking of OTT, Eleanor Walsh is a phenomenal scene-stealer as Lenora Frigid, a walking restraining order-in-waiting who harbours a very public unrequited love for Cry Baby. Her solo number ‘Screw Loose’ gets some of the most rapturous applause (and biggest laughs) of the night, thanks to her charming comic skills that play in breathtaking harmony with her incredibly powerful singing voice. She’s an utter delight and I couldn’t stop watching her.

There’s no shortage of other wonderful secondary characters, such as uber-confident MC Dupree (played by vocal powerhouse Chad Saint Louis), hilariously grating Baldwin (Elliot Allinson), and sultry siren Wanda (India Chadwick). At the press night, Laura Buhagiar also stepped up and made her mark as the cover for ‘hatchet face’ Mona.

Ergen’s production isn’t just rich in on-stage talent, either. Choreographer Chris Whittaker uses the relatively small space to incredible effect to make the upbeat musical numbers pop; there’s a real feeling of a West End spectacle on this Off-West End stage. A particular highlight of mine was the barbershop quartet-style number ‘Squeaky Clean’, where Whittaker’s precise synchronicity gets to shine to a hilarious extent.

Visually, we’re immediately immersed in 1950s Baltimore by Robert Innes Hopkins’s simple yet striking production design, which uses colourful moving set pieces to great effect. It’s also a treat to see the band on stage in the upper portion, led by charismatic MD Ashton Moore.

Cry-Baby isn’t quite 100% polished. I heard some quiet background chatter through a speaker above my head during a lot of Act Two, and in a couple of the big ensemble numbers, I could sense that the fairly large cast were occasionally confined by the tight performance space. But these small quibbles don’t take anything away from the fact I had a brilliant evening watching this zippy, kooky, campy show.

Come to be one of the cool kids celebrating the lesser-known John Waters musical adaptation, stay for the toe-tapping tunes, big vocals and big laughs.

Creatives

Director: Mehmet Ergen

Designer: Robert Innes Hopkins

Choreographer: Chris Whittaker

Musical Director: Ashton Moore

Lighting Designer: David Howe

Sound Designer: Matthew Giles