This stage musical version of Bugsy Malone is a highly entertaining if rather strange theatrical experience.
It has the charm of the 1976 Alan Parker award-winning musical but, unlike the movie, not all the characters are played by kids. You therefore have this unusual world inhabited by grown-ups and by children with some of the grown-ups playing well, grown-ups, and some of the children also playing grown-ups. It takes a little brain time to adjust to this, particularly as some of the kids (particularly the girls) don’t really look that young. Maybe that is a girl thing.
The story, as far as I can remember, stays true to the film, a light-hearted mobster feud where one gang needs to get its hands on the new secret weapon of the other gang to survive. Along the way we have wannabe stars (male and female), the boxing club, and the prohibition era speakeasys of New York.
This production design from Jon Bausor has an effective set that quickly transforms from the outside to inside of Fat Sam’s speakeasy, the dockside where the new splurge guns are being stored, and the all-important boxing club for what is probably the musical’s most successful song and dance routine.
Directed by Sean Holmes, the show is a little slow in taking hold and the second half is definitely far more engaging and entertaining than the first, with the most intricate and appealing dance routines from choreographer Drew McOnie, particularly So You Wanna Be A Boxer, plus the sultry Tallulah song. The younger cast members are variable in their signing skills and there was also the problem of not being able to make out some of what some of these youngsters were saying, let alone singing. This is the first outing of the tour so maybe these are teething problems. The youngsters were at their best when they were able to come to the front of the stage and just sing, particularly the excellent Mia Lakha and Jasmine Sakyiama as Blousey and Tallulah.
The strangeness of the production is compounded with the best of the song and dance routines being led by the adult members of the cast who, as you would expect, were much stronger than the kids.
The finale itself was also something of a damp squib and I remember seeing a schools’ production that had far more splurge and cream pies flying around.
In the title role Gabriel Payne was delightful, just the right balance of charm and cheek, a sort of Artful Dodger with a New York accent. Albie Snelson was a lovable rogue Fat Sam.
It is a fun night out with some excellent performances and comes in at around two hours which is ideal for taking some of the younger family members along on a school night.
Wales Millennium Centre Until January 21
https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/
Images: Pamela Raith Photograpy