Any stage will do
★★★★★
Now into our fourteenth week of January, we all need a good laugh, so what better than turning to the comedic talents of the award-winning duo Flo and Joan? They have penned a musical about one of the biggest men in musical theatre, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. Their deeply satirical and brilliant wicked take on the composer's life is magnificently unhinged, utterly hilarious, and downright barmy—I loved it.
The premise is that Andrew Lloyd Webber, fed up with his new musicals being panned by critics, and to an extent audiences, is stripping away the glitz and glamour to tell his life story - a story he believes the public is dying to hear. For once he is the star of the show. We are drawn into Andrew’s bubble full of unwavering self-belief and odours of entitlement as he skirts around the obvious privilege and connections in his early days, through multiple marriages right up to today. All underscored with outlandish numbers written by Flo and Joan that draw upon motifs from some of his most popular productions.
The undeniable star of this one-man show tasked with portraying Lord Lloyd Webber himself is George Fouracres. Bursting with juvenile rage and tantrum, Fouracres is so at home in bringing this caricature version of ALW to life, lolloping and guffawing across the stage and wingeing at every slight mishap that wafts his way, this Andrew is desperate to be adored. His clown-like performance is beautifully silly and boisterous. Fouracres’s experience in comedy shines through, particularly when he toys with the audience or power-houses his way through technical issues using improv that left the room howling with laughter.
This production fully commits to the bit, so of course, there is a golden Joseph coat, and yes, there is a song where Fouracres dons roller skates and shuffles around the stage with a smoking (literally) Thomas the Tank Engine backpack. It has it all. The show is overflowing with musical theatre references and exists as an absolute gift to those who pay attention to the various dramas and rumours that occur off-stage in the West End and beyond.
A tonic for the January blues, One Man Musical is a satirical delight, poking fun towards the powerful presence that is Andrew Lloyd Webber and his reign across the global theatre scene. It is wonderfully silly and led by raw comedic talent in George Fouracres and fuelled by the brilliant, witty-minded Flo and Joan. We need to see more of this and frankly, any stage will do.
Running until the 2nd March - Tickets
