Review: I Screamed a Scream (Old Joint Stock Theatre)

Review by Raphael Kohn

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How do musical theatre nerds celebrate Halloween? Well, you could do it the boring way, dress up in a costume, get drunk with your mates (please do not follow this step if you are under 18), and have fun. Or, you could do it the way James Edge, manager of the Old Joint Stock theatre in Birmingham, does. And that way is so much more fun, creating an evening of camp delights, celebrating the villains of musical theatre we all know and adore in I Screamed a Scream, a cabaret show that’s all treat and no trick.

We open with a Disney mashup – of course, there’s no ‘Be Our Guest’ or ‘Circle of Life’ to be heard – this mashup is full of the very best villain songs from those fan-favourite films. ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls,’ ‘Be Prepared’ and more all get their own moments, blended together marvellously to establish our quartet of performers, harmonising and playing off each other in fabulous style.

The entire evening is hosted by James Edge, who may be best known as the manager of the theatre, but he’s also a fine performer. Demonstrating a versatile singing voice and a natural stage presence, full of cheeky jokes, he delivers some of the sassiest performances of the night. Edge treats the audience to a wonderful full rendition of ‘Be Prepared’ from The Lion King and a crowd-pleasing ‘You’ll Be Back’ from Hamilton. But perhaps his best moment of all is in the act two opener, a medley of all the songs he couldn’t fit in the show, including ‘My Friends’ (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), Candy Store (Heathers), and ‘The Smell of Rebellion’ (Matilda).

In a smart bow tie, he also makes a wonderful host, introducing each song’s performer, and joining the entire cabaret evening up nicely. He’s not alone in I Screamed a Scream though, with three excellent performers each lending their unique talents to the stage.

There’s some wonderful vocals from Sinead Kenny, whose terrific demonic Mary Poppins-styled performance of ‘Mother Knows Best’ from Tangled is a real highlight. Lydia Eliza Roberts gets a lot to play with in her solos, from the incredible belting in ‘World Burn’ from Mean Girls to her frankly satanic embodiment of Ursula in her performance of ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ from The Little Mermaid. Meanwhile, Hayden Cox’s tenor gets opportunities to shine in ‘Meant To Be Yours’ from Heathers and ‘This Is The Thanks I Get’ from Wish.

As much fun as their solos are, it all works best though when they work together. The three soloists (excluding Edge) join together in a rendition of ‘Easy Street’ from Annie, or in their finale ‘I Put A Spell On You’ from Hocus Pocus. These moments seem to work the best, amplifying the energy up to the maximum. At times, the energy of some songs gets overwhelming for the venue – a couple of songs involve a digital drum track that is played a touch too loudly – but it rarely detracts from the fun of the evening.

The hidden trick up their sleeves is their musical director Callum Thompson, who seems to be up for participating in all of Edge’s antics. I almost felt sorry for him when he gets dressed, seemingly against his will, in a simply ridiculous costume, or has to sing every backing role in the show. Who knew the trio of Ronettes, backing the lead singer in ‘Dentist!’ from Little Shop of Horrors could be performed so well by a single performer?

It’s all a pretty brilliant selection of songs. There’s the fan favourites, of course, particularly Disney songs, as well as ‘World Burn’ (Mean Girls), ‘Meant To Be Yours’ (Heathers) and ‘Herod’s Song’ (Jesus Christ Superstar). Edge includes, however, an opportunity to get to know songs from a few lesser-known musicals, such as ‘The Mad Hatter’ from Frank Wildhorn’s Wonderland, ‘This Is The Thanks I Get’ from Wish, and ‘My Lullaby’ from Lion King II. Shining some light on these under-appreciated works, it’s a real treat to be introduced to some new music as well as the classics. It's a shame at times that there are a few snubs – for example, Sweeney Todd, one of the most villainous musicals of all, gets only 16 bars. But it’s all to keep the show snappy and the runtime sensible, which keeps the show’s energy high throughout.

And that’s what makes I Screamed a Scream work so well – it’s a high-energy celebration of the camp chaos that we all know and love so much from our musical theatre villains. There’s simply no better way to spend Hallowe’en, and just goes to show once again how impressive this small Birmingham venue can be.

I Screamed a Scream plays at the Old Joint Stock until 1st November 2024, then touring. Tickets for Birmingham from https://www.oldjointstock.co.uk/whats-on/i-screamed-a-scream, for London from https://phoenixartsclub.com/events/i-screamed-a-scream/, and for Guildford from https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/screamed-a-scream

Photos by Perro Loco Productions