REVIEW: Scottie Road - the Musical, Unity Theatre
The night before Halloween is known as Mischief Night, which could have made it the best possible time for Scottie Road - the Musical to be unleashed on the public. A sordid tale of the dire consequences of assaulting Primark staff with their own cut-price merchandise and the life behind bars that can result, so we meet our heroines Caz and Britney - whose penchant for a good showtune is only slightly greater than the need to outdo one another at any given opportunity, or the procurement of official, Anne Kirkbride-sanctioned Deirdre Barlow glasses on eBay. Caz and Britney are actresses Gill Hardie and Keddy Sutton, and the show is a work in progress as part of Homotopia that has grown out of a ten minute cabaret act. The duo take well-known tunes from musicals (mostly Chicago) and give them a unique - and undoubtedly hilarious - Scouse twist. But this time, there's a plot. It begins with the pair at a press conference having been released from prison, leaving them to explain how they landed there and the hardships they had to endure. Despite the shoestring budget, Caz and Britney are irresistible, with the improvisation proving as witty as their rather clever songs (a highlight being a very inventive way the two jailbirds get to make contact with some particularly famous Scousers who might be able to help them). In turns rude, charming and downright silly, the show ends up owing as much to The Wizard of Oz as it does Bad Girls, meeting Who's Line is it Anyway somewhere in the middle. (Now there's a tagline.) Although the Liverpool link is at the heart of the act, it is not so insular that this show would probably work well elsewhere. They may have been performing to a room of familiar faces last night but the laughter didn't stop. Scotty Road the Musical has great potential and this successful first run certainly left the audience wanting more, You may never hum I Dreamed a Dream with a straight face again. For more on the show, read the MADEUP interview with Gill and Keddy here.
