Jul 246 min read

Review: Fangirls (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Allow me, dear reader, to begin with a quote from the hit TV show Glee:

“[Girls are] responsible for the consumer-driven economy. Those Twilight books are poop on paper and we’ve turned them into a billion dollar industry.”

And yes, every generation of teenage girls turns their favourite artists and media into behemoths – country darlings become billionaire popstars, young adult books become genre defining multi-media series, and from Lennon to Timberlake, Bieber to Styles, there’s always a boy with the hottest hairstyle, whose fame expands exponentially beyond his work. This power, held in the hands of those so readily dismissed, is at the heart of Fangirls, Yve Blake’s high energy musical playing at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.

14-year-old Edna, you’ll be so surprised to learn, feels like no one understands her quite like Harry, the most popular member of British reality TV band Heartbreak Nation. Convinced he’s struggling more than anyone else can see, she feels like she might also be the only one who understands him, and her countless fanfics about going on the run may be creeping just a bit too close to actual plans. Being so far from the boy she shares such a deep, if wholly imagined, connection with gets just that bit harder every day, and she longs to meet him and convince him to run from the workload, the overbearing management, and the constant screams of all those other girls who just don't get him. When Heartbreak Nation announce their Australian tour dates, a fanfic collab with her online friend morphs into genuine scheming, even if her working class mum can’t afford tickets, and her rich bestie is being totally rude to her!

If it all sounds a bit silly, that’s exactly the tone Blake is aiming for with her quick-fire script. The production is shooting for Six’s pop concert vibes, as best seen in the show’s ensemble numbers, where the cast perform all-out like a genuine pop group themselves. Where things do go a bit awry is the tone, the high-octane cheeriness of which is in disagreement with some of the more serious topics at hand – parents separate, self-harm-supporting hashtags spread, households turn violent, and those ever-present pressures to be beautiful begin to take hold, but so much of it is too quickly thrown into the mix and stepped away from to make an real impact. At worst, like when a young girl states calmly that her home has had its first instance of domestic violence, there are awkward chuckles a moment later as the confusion of this revelation in an almost parodic number settles in.

The tonal disparities, particularly in the uneven first act, do help to highlight that what Fangirls does successfully, it does astoundingly well. Early number “Nobody” begins as a call-to-arms for the assorted Harry stans, a peppy, poppy affair both celebrating and lightly ribbing those who truly feel that no one loves their fave quite like they do. Cleverly, the song then morphs when performed by the man himself, revealed as a more mid-tempo, romantic hit from Heartbreak Nation – it’s a PG take on the children’s act to striptease number from Gypsy, and incredibly effective as a reveal. With song titles like “Actually Dead” and Edna’s online friend SaltyPringl’s increasingly elaborate fic ideas, the understanding of fandom and subculture is definitely there in both Yve Blake’s book and her lyrics.

Alas, what weakens the structure does at times threaten to topple it entirely. The exuberance and joyful use of stereotypes in a number like Legally Blonde’s “Omigod You Guys” succeeds largely because the touches are used sparingly for the rest of the material – The Delta Nu sisters are a delight to welcome back because we’ve seen little enough to want more. Alternately, the titular fangirls, a more present pop group that Heartbreak Nation themselves, are repeatedly brought out to deliver more of the same. Moments of more tender, introverted lyricism also have a habit of falling back on classic “wait and see / who I’m gonna be / jusy like me” lines of a century’s worth of inspirational songs, to the point that you can often guess the next few lines. Perhaps most jarring is act one’s ending, which reaches Lord of the Rings extended edition levels of false-endings, at least three or four perfect moments to hit pause passing by before the interval begins – worse, a chunk of the finale is repeated at the top of act two, with only half of the repeated scene serving any real purpose.

Among the cast, it’s impossible to find a weak-er link, much less anyone less than exceptional. Gracie McGonical, a star on the rise seen recently in both The Little Big Things and The Crucible, is one of the many multi-rolers in the ensemble, running out seemingly every other number to belt a high note before scurrying away for another quick-change. Another standouts among the fangirls are Terique Jarrett, bringing heart and humour to fanfic bestie Salty, and giving just enough sense of depth and humanity that the awkward, stereotypical touches of the role don’t grate quite as harshly as they could. Turning in a stellar performance is Debbie Kurup as Caroline, Edna’s hard-working, much-maligned mother, whose sympathy knows no bounds and who reveals herself progressively as a fierce protective force. And then there's Harry himself, Thomas Grant in what proves to be a hilarious turn, as mocking of boyband heartthrobs (any resemblance to other famous Harry's is, I'm sure, purely coincidental) as it is an homage to them.

In the leading role, Jasmine Elcock absolutely shines as Edna, channelling the kind of devotion and misguided belief in a parasocial relationship that has troubled parents and alienated friends for endless generations. Her voice is bright and powerful, and the directness of some of her line deliveries is in perfect harmony with the intended humour of the work. Also easy to believe is her friendship with rich-girl frenemy Jules, played by an astonishing Mary Malone, and third-wheel Brianna, the scene-stealing Miracle Chance. Malone finds the perfect balance between being and lampooning the bitchy ex-bestie archetype, while Chance finds all the little gems of comedy scattered through Brianna’s desperation to be nice but also get what she wants but also be fair but also be a winner but also she’s like totally not sure what to do! As a trio, they’re brilliant, and the scenes of all three together are some of the strongest and most impactful Fangirls has to offer.

Where the false-endings and uneven pacing and plot can cause issues, the production itself is largely without fault. Admittedly the exuberant choreography from Ebony Williams could stand to be a bit more varied and toned down in places, but it is always very fun to watch. Meanwhile sound designer Tony Gale and musical director Candida Caldicot have combined their skills to really sell the concert elements, the group numbers sounding dynamic, deliberately over-loud, and for the mini-concert opening of act two, genuinely like you’re deep in the pit at an arena tour. Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting is exciting, arena-like, and makes clever use of the house-lights to create bigger moments, while the video design from Ash J Woodward is an ingenious combination of concert-style close-ups, news footage, and online outpourings of emotion – some twisted, beautiful combination of Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard and the jolting opening scenes of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.

With Paige Rattray at the helm as director, this UK premiere of Fangirls benefits from a unity to the performances, and a clarity in its vision as a story interspersed with a fan-driven concert spectacular. Where Rattray can’t quite correct the pacing and tonal problems baked into the script itself, there is a remarkable control of the pace of the evening if not of the story – everything is so bright, so overwhelmingly fun, that the realisation of these issues can take a few minutes of the interval to truly settle in. Imperfect but utterly charming, Fangirls is like its brazen cast of characters – awkward, quirky, and ultimately a lot of fun to spend a few hours with.