REVIEW | Thespians, UK Tour, Home - Manchester

Harry Brogan
Jul 10
3 min read

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Mischief productions are back with a new show to add to their plethora of comedies that have been in the UK theatre scene over the past 13 years, with Thespians being a musical about Greece, and the growth of theatre as an art form within Ancient Greece, more so 534BC. Set between the island of Ikaria and the city of Athens, the story follows a brother and sister, Thespis and Poly, and the other 3 inhabitants of the island, and their journey to competing in a deadly prayer competition in Athens. Whilst there, Thespis uncovers something that will change how their journey goes, ending a lot of the troubles on their island.

The story, written by Jonathan Sayer, is overall very strong, and has moments of joy, and seriousness, all balanced out very well with a good quality amount of music, with lyrics written by both Sayer and Ed Zanders. Whilst the music in act 1 was rather forgettable, there were a lot more quality songs throughout act 2, with Marc Pickering’s solo as Adonis being the highlight of the show. On top of this, I would’ve preferred more live music on stage since, as an audience, we were only aware of 3 of the musicians - and there were recordings used alongside these to amplify more volume on stage, instead of relying on backings which might not always work. Sound designer Nick Lodge perfectly managed a balance of the keys, cello, reeds, and recordings seamlessly though, so made it sound less effortless than what it was pre-recording all of the additional extra brass tracks, provided by Seb Philpott and Christopher Augustine.

Lighting was designed by David Howe, and was successfully used to transition between scenes, and create the focus that was necessary in particular scenes, as well as creating the desired effect necessary. Whilst nothing particularly special at times, it was still overall of a very good quality, and all changes were smooth. The same can be said about the set, which was designed by Jasmine Swan. Whilst basic, it was used very effectively, changing to expose more of the stage, or less of it, depending on what the scene needed. The cast were sometimes involved in moving the set pieces, and did this smoothly without breaking the flow of the show.

On a note with the cast, everyone suited their roles incredibly, and brought their characters to life how Sayer would have imagined whilst writing the show, with casting done by Lucy Jenkins and Sooki McShane for CDG casting. James Spence was in the more titular role of Thespis, and was a really strong lead, working incredibly well alongside Claire-Marie Hall as Poly and Luke Latchman as Atlas. As the main 3 characters within the show, the actors each put on brilliant individual performances, alongside having excellent onstage chemistry. The fluctuations between more comedic and more serious moments were performed to a high level, helping with the flow of the story, and showing excellent depth in their characters. Mia Jerome was another brilliant cast member, with Jerome's Melampus bringing a motherly figure that was successfully implemented throughout the show, whilst having funny moments throughout to get the aspects that Mischief are known for implementing.

For a first attempt at a musical by Mischief Comedy, it was executed well, which, despite its slight flaws, means that it’s rather hard to tell that it is a first attempt to do so, rather than a company which has been writing musicals for years. Direction by Robyn Grant, alongside associate director Joe Allen, meant that Sayer’s story flowed well, alongside bringing in the perfect amount of comedy aspects that meant it did not feel like a gimmick being added into a show. With a few more improvements, which will come with time, Mischief Comedy will have the perfect combinations to give itself a strong, comedic musical to enter into the current circuit of musicals within the UK theatre scene.

★★★★

Thespians plays at Home, in Manchester - its last tour stop, the show closes on July 18th: https://www.homemcr.org/