Lyric Hammersmith
Playing until 24th August 2024
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
Review
They say you never forget your first love, but it’s especially true when he's a member of one of the most famous boybands on the planet.
Edna, the protagonist of Yve Blake’s Fangirls, now playing at the Lyric Hammersmith, is currently in the midst of one of these all-consuming, unrequited love affairs. The object of her teenage affection? Harry, the floppy-haired 18-year-old lead singer of globally famous boyband, Heartbreak Nation.
As a recovering former fangirl of One Direction, the not-so-subtle inspiration for Heartbreak Nation, I was particularly excited to see this show and its representation of girlhood and fandom. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was delighted to discover that Fangirls is an incredibly entertaining and charmingly hilarious show that truly captures the essence of what it is to be utterly devoted to someone who doesn’t even know you exist.
The show boldly sets its tone with a fantastical musical number featuring Edna (Jasmine Elcock) and Harry (Thomas Grant) on the run (“Let Them”), riding on the back of a glowing motorbike before hopping off and defeating some cops — as you do.
But we quickly realise what we’re seeing is merely a product of Edna’s whimsical imagination, as a bunch of clothes drop from the ceiling to show that we’ve snapped out of her fantasy and back into her floordrobe-covered teenage bedroom.
A scholarship student at an all-girls school in Sydney with a burnt out single mum (Debbie Kurup), Edna feels like no one understands her — no one except Harry, that is.
Convinced he’s also going through emotional turmoil, she immerses herself in writing fanfiction about helping him escape. But when Heartbreak Nation announces a one-off concert in Sydney, Edna decides she needs to turn her fantasy into action, and some incredibly surreal chaos ensues.
Joining Edna in her Harry obsession are a chorus of other fangirls played by a remarkable ensemble (including a scene-stealing Gracie McGonigal) and her two best friends Jules (Mary Malone) and Brianna (Miracle Chance). This pair gets some of the biggest laughs of the night, with Jules being hyper fixated on getting a boyfriend and Brianna becoming utterly obsessed with finally looking hot. Their duet “Night of our Lives”, performed as they get ready for the concert, was a personal highlight.
The cast are all superb, but Elcock’s voice in particular is endlessly listenable as she soars above the catchy melodies while also bringing a real comedic edge to her portrayal of Edna.
One of Fangirls’s biggest strengths is its frenetic, offbeat humour that leans into teenage tropes and wrings them for all they’re worth. This is balanced with a poppy score that’s fun and fresh and keeps the show moving at a suitably peppy pace — Act Two’s “Justice”, an anthem about how teenage girls is misunderstood, is a real stand-out.
Of course, these die-hard fangirls are only as believable as the idol they’re devoted to. Fortunately, Thomas Grant has clearly put the work into studying the icons his character is inspired by (namely, Harry Styles), and his polished earnestness and swoon-worthy half-smiles really sell his superstardom.
At the start of Act Two, the audience are brought into Heartbreak Nation’s Sydney gig — quite literally, with cast members milling about in the interval to teach us a dance move in preparation — and I genuinely felt like I was watching a pop concert that I’m sure I would have gone absolutely feral for at the age of 14.
Fangirls’s incredibly energetic score and book are backed up with a simple set of moving LED screens, with Ash J Woodward’s video design bringing the fangirls’ fantasies to life and often adding to the satirical humour, while Ebony Williams has nailed the high-octane choreography.
The show’s only downfall is when it tries to bring in some more sombre elements, such as a character talking about family domestic violence or a self-harm subplot that you can’t tell whether or not is supposed to be played for laughs. The whiplash of the sudden changes in tone makes these moments slightly jarring, and they’re not explored in enough depth to make an emotional impact amid all the comedy and upbeat musical numbers.
But there are still plenty of touching moments to be found in Fangirls, especially in the relationship between Edna and her mother. The brilliant performances of Elcock and Kurup make their dynamic feel very realistic, and there’s a lovely payoff at the end.
Commenting on the very real issue of how young girls’ passions are often belittled and their emotions minimised to mere hormones, Fangirls is a supremely fresh and entertaining show where the energy never drops and the fun never stops.
Selected Creatives
Book, Music and Lyrics: Yve Blake
Director: Paige Rattray
Musical Director: Candida Caldicot
Choroegrapher: Ebony Williams
Video Designer: Ash J Woodward
Lighting Designer: Jessica Hung Han Yun
Sound Designer: Tony Gale
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