Jodie Jacobs and Matthew McKenna in Bananaman The Musical at the Southwark Playhouse, London. Pictures: Pamela Raith
Bananaman The Musical continues at the Southwark Playhouse, London until 20 January.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Superheroes have rarely inspired much success in musical theatre. The Man of Steel was the first, in 1966’s It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!, which at the best could be considered a cult favourite but was otherwise a box office flop, despite directorship from the usually Midas-fingered Hal Prince.
The Caped Crusader fared little better in the short-lived and long-forgotten StarKid show Holy Musical B@man!, which, after its four-day run in Chicago in 2012, was doomed to languish in the depths of YouTube.
And while Bono and The Edge’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark enjoyed some record-breaking box offices on Broadway in 2010, it was continually plagued by technical and creative problems – hence its other record, for the most previews of any show (182).
So what chance does the humble potassium-powered superhero Bananaman have of making it big on the musical stage? Can the Beano star succeed where his fellow lycra-clad crime-fighters have failed?
Well, perhaps, but not on any scale larger than the production at Southwark, where Leon Parris’ new musical has just had its world premiere. Parris – who ambitiously provides the book, music and lyrics – has crafted a perky, colourful and family-friendly show that brings the comic-book character vividly to life and fits the Southwark Playhouse’s Large space as snugly as spandex.
It’s certainly funny – at times, laugh-out-loud funny – and the music, while throwaway, does a good job of servicing the slapstick shenanigans.
Sadly, though, it’s a scrappy affair with more rough edges than the charming cast can cope with. Director Mark Perry has lavished attention – and probably a good chunk of the budget – on an impressive Bananaman suit (bravo, costume crew!) but the set is comically wobbly and the props are bargain basement. This almost adds to the charm of the piece, as it’s definitely a show that’s more DC Thomson than Marvel, but a little more effort on the trappings wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Carl Mullaney and Marc Pickering
The cast, though, do a sterling job with what they’re given, and are ultimately the show’s superpower.
Mark Newnham is likeable as Eric Wimp, the ordinary schoolboy whose steel-bending, train-lifting powers only appear after he eats a banana, and Matthew McKenna is suitably square-jawed as Eric’s alter ego.
Emma Ralston is delightful as the sassy love interest Fiona – a strong-willed Girl Friday who needs no man’s help to get out of a pickle. And Jodie Jacobs turns her hand deftly to puppetry to bring Bananaman’s sidekick Crow squawking to life (although no one can match Bill Oddie’s vocal talents from the Bananaman TV series).
TJ Lloyd clearly relishes his role as the bumbling Oirish Chief O’Reilly, Brian Gilligan delights as a somewhat randomly placed Mad Magician, and Lizzii Hills offers up another strong female role in the shape of Eric’s mother. Chris McGuigan and Amy Perry complete the ensemble, tackling multiple roles.
The stars of the night, though, are Marc Pickering as the evil Dr Gloom and Carl Mullaney as his camp commandant General Blight. Both give outstanding comic turns and continually steal the show with their inept antics – much to the delight of the kids (and adults) in the house. The nine-year-old sitting next to me loved the villains, even if he got a little confused as to what was going on.
Parris’ poppy songs are fun and parodic – the show never takes itself seriously – but they’re not the easiest to listen to, owing to some awful sound issues. The solo numbers are fine, but the ensemble work all too often gets lost in a morass of noise.
It didn’t help that I was sitting directly under MD Mal Hall’s band and the electronic drum kit – I and others around me found the thwacking of the sticks and the bass drum pedal really distracting (I hate people tapping their feet during musicals, and this was 10 times worse).
Having listened to the cast recordings of a couple of numbers again on YouTube, the lyrics are quite impressive, but any subtlety or ingenuity is lost in the chaotic staging.
On saying this, though, I’d still recommend Bananaman to families looking for some post-Christmas cheer. It’s a wickedly funny show that’s packed full with enough to keep the parents amused as well as the kids. And with a family ticket costing just £80, you can entertain four for the price of a single stalls seat at Hamilton.
Admittedly, Bananaman is probably as far from Hamilton as a musical can get, but it’s still great value for money.
Craig Glenday
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – writer and composer LEON PARRIS on the creation of Bananaman the Musical
Tickets for Bananaman The Musical at the Southwark Playhouse are available HERE
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