You have until 14th August 2022 to catch this superbly enjoyable Bugsy Malone The Musical at Birmingham The Rep. We loved this bad boy musical, especially with the lively music, the great energy levels from a talented cast of 9 to 15 year olds and the excitement which ran throughout the show.
To be honest, my children and I were pretty much clueless about the storyline of Bugsy Malone beforehand except we knew that it involved mobsters. Without further ado, Bugsy Malone The Musical is based on Alan Parker’s hit movie, which sees two gangs of mobsters (led by mob bosses Fat Sam and Dandy Dan) fight to the death with splurge guns and custard pies in the era of Prohibition in the Big Apple New York. Along comes penniless one-time boxer Bugsy Malone and the new love of his life, Blousey Brown.
The whole stage was very well planned with props that swoop down from above, set behind New York’s gloomy black fire escapes, colourful cocktail bar, plenty of whirling sequinned dancers, boxing ring, heart-beating car chase and many more. The storyline flows along beautifully with amazing music that captures the story and their exciting dancing routines. This musical is managed by Birmingham Rep, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Kenny Wax. It is directed by Sean Holmes and choreographed by The Rep’s Artistic Associate Drew McOnie. The musical is packed with instantly recognisable songs from Oscar-winner Paul Williams including My Name is Tallulah, You Give A Little Love and Fat Sam’s Grand Slam. This new production had cast 39 young actors (including 3 teams of 7 children) to tour the UK.
The performance lasts for approximately 2 hours including a 20-minute interval. There are two shows each day from Tuesday to Sunday and none on Monday. They also have a British Sign Language performance on Thursday 4th August at 7.30pm, Captioned performance on Saturday 6th August at 2.30pm, Audio Described performance on Tuesday 9th August at 7.30pm and a Relaxed performance day on Thursday 11th August at 2.30pm. For ticket booking, please visit https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/
This is a lovely theatre with comfortable seating and good feet space. The theatre is very big, hence if you are sitting in the middle rows, it is best to arrive early. There are bars and snacks available to buy during the interval, but there are no cup holders in the seating area. Please do take your rubbish away after you leave. It is not too far from Birmingham New Street, about 12 minutes to walk. It is very easy to find.
We think this is a great show to watch for all the family, especially with the music, the energy levels and the excitement which ran throughout the show.
Cast members:
Bugsy – Gabriel Payne
Fat Sam – Albie Snelson
Fizzy – Aidan Oti
Dandy Dan – Desmond Cole
Lena/BabyFace – Cherry Mitra
Blousey – Mia Lakha
Tallulah – Jasmine Sakyiama
Disclosure: We received free tickets for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. Production images by Johan Persson and used with permission.