Bugsy Malone theatre review: joyous show full of charm and mischief at Lyric Hammersmith

This vibrant show is the perfect way to re-open the Lyric Hammersmith, says Henry Hitchings
Henry Hitchings30 November 2017

This is a joyous show. Bugsy Malone may portray turf wars among Chicago villains, but in Alan Parker’s Seventies musical film the hoodlums and their hangers-on are appealingly played by actors with an average age of 12, and here the same youthful exuberance is to the fore.

As the pint-size gangsters tussle and their molls dream of escape, we’re treated to a mix of charm and mischief by a cast that ranges in age from about eight to 23. They embrace the slapstick elements of the admittedly slender plot, belt out Paul Williams’s songs, and wield splurge guns that emit great spurts of Angel Delight. Sean Holmes does a fine job of directing the young actors. Each main part is played by three children in rotation, and the press night performances set the bar high.

Daniel Purves’s Bugsy is perky, and Samantha Allison’s Tallulah has a strong voice and a degree of poise well beyond her years. The most vocally impressive cast member is Thea Lamb as Blousey Brown, while the most irresistible is Ashton Henry-Reid as soulful janitor Fizzy, and Max Gill is amusingly relaxed as nightclub owner Fat Sam. There’s also a lovely turn by Hammed Animashaun, a twentysomething protégé of Holmes, as the lumbering giant who saves Bugsy when he’s being mugged.

Jon Bausor’s elegant costumes and simple set allow the action to be as fluent as possible. The sharp choreography is by Drew McOnie, whose most athletic number, So You Wanna Be A Boxer, is a knockout. The pacing of the first half doesn’t feel quite right at the moment, and I can’t help wondering if the show may appeal less to kids than to nostalgic parents. But you’d have to be stony-hearted not to appreciate this celebration of young talent — just about the perfect way to reopen the Lyric after its £20 million refurbishment.

Until August 1 (020 8741 6850; lyric.co.uk)

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