REVIEW - THE UNCONVENTIONALS

The Unconventionals is a reworking of Jude Taylor’s musical comedy, Is He Musical? which has been described as a musical love letter to the real-life queer scenes of 1930s London.

Presented in a cabaret style the audience is introduced to Wilfred (Elliot Wooster), trapped outside of Heaven (the nightclub in Charing Cross), they must take one final wander through their memories of this decade of the London queer scene. Soon befriending Laurence (Barry O’Reilly), the two affectionately rename themselves May and Lilian.

The Unconventionals is wonderfully camp and melodramatic. Featuring show tunes in the style of 1930s musicals, with arrangements by George Strickland. The first few numbers within the show were all played on the piano, by Francesca Fenech (Lady Lavender) and sung by Wooster – which means they began to feel rather repetitive. However, as soon as other instruments and voices were incorporated, the musical numbers were elevated, upbeat, and more varied. There were moments when the music was rather loud, which meant you couldn’t always hear the exact words being sung, but the venue’s acoustics may also have played a part in this. The cast display pitch-perfect vocals throughout, with standout vocal performances from Wooster and Tamara Morgan (Daphne).

At times the show was slightly incoherent, making the plot difficult to follow, and the script did not feel fully realised. There were some comedic moments, but these could have been exaggerated and developed further. As the cast state, ‘I do believe that people can be queer before the 1960s’, and this show has a wonderful aim – to highlight queerness in the extremely heteronormative world of the 30s when being queer was illegal. The Unconventionals has a lot of potential, and a charmingly pure heart at its core, with further development this could be a delight.

SAVE THE VAULT FESTIVAL

VAULT Festival has been left without a venue for 2024’s festival and beyond
• VAULT Festival have launched a #SaveVAULT campaign
• The campaign aims are to raise £150,000 by 19th March to support the festival’s survival AND to secure a new home for the festival to continue.
• You can help by donating, helping access funding networks, and helping then find a venue.
• You are officially implored to make the most of 2023’s Festival while it lasts!

{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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