Say My Name! (The Unauthorised ‘Breaking Bad’ Parody Musical) – Theatre N16

Say My Name! (The Unauthorised ‘Breaking Bad’ Parody Musical) at Theatre N16, London

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Turning all five seasons of Breaking Bad into an hour and a half long musical is an ambitious concept, but one that the cast and creative team of Say My Name! (The Unauthorised ‘Breaking Bad’ Parody Musical) execute well. It’s a Fringe musical that doesn’t take itself seriously, but showcases some impressive writing and performing talent.

Rob Gathercole’s writing is clear, concise and humorous. He uses musical numbers well in terms of the introduction of new characters and important plot points which means that audience members who perhaps aren’t as familiar with the show can still follow the storyline.

Slow-moving season three is compacted into a single song, which means there is more time for reprises of the song ‘Don’t Be a Chicken’ – each funnier than the last. The whole show is comprised of 35 songs, and aside from reprises, each has an individual personality and sound.

The talented cast is made up of six actor-musicians, most of whom multi-task as various characters, as well as play multiple instruments.

Matt Tweddle played a very convincing Walter White, who starts as a man in desperate circumstances but ends as someone the audience cannot sympathise with. Tweddle clearly spent a lot of time studying his character’s physicality and voice, as it is an accurate portrayal. Rebecca Levy performs the part of Jesse Pinkman, White’s partner in crime, brilliantly.

The whole show is full of funny and clever touches which suit the Fringe style of musical. While there is little to no set, the show is brought to life with characterisation, props and gimmicks: a puppet who comes laden with ‘Christmas Carol’ references plays the part of Walter White Jr, wooden spoons are used to enact the whole of season three, there’s a black and white silent film.

All of these ideas embody the bravery and ingenuity required to take on such a mammoth creative task.

The only real criticism of this show is the length. While it is impressive to have condensed so much material into a short space of time, sitting through the whole show with no interval is a little bit too long.

Say My Name! (The Unauthorised ‘Breaking Bad’ Parody Musical) has been an excellent addition to London’s Fringe theatre scene, and a show that I hope will have a life after its run at Theatre N16.

Lani Calvert