Taking place in the former Barbecoa Piccadilly restaurant space, last night was an opportunity to go back to Rehab.
In autumn 2022, in a converted bus garage in Latimer Road (the lovely Playground Theatre), this show by Grant Black and Murray Lachlan Young (music/lyrics) and Elliot Davis (book) burst onto the new musical scene.
Now it’s back, largely recast – Keith Allen, Jodie Steele and original cast member from 2017 John Barr endure (and the late Annabel Giles would surely have returned) – reblocked, redesigned, and retweaked.
Kid Pop (Christian Maynard, a delight to watch) is a strutting, arrogant pop star caught by paparazzi doing drugs and is sentenced to two months in rehab by a judge who recognises he’s “a wanker”.
Quickly, he’s off to The Glade, meeting three other patients (Barr’s touching tanning addict Barry Bronze, Oscar Conlan-Morrey’s overeating Phil, and Rebecca Thornhill’s serial sex-mad overindulger, Jane).
Meanwhile, his conniving manager (Allen, a keg of comic menace) and assistant Beth (an underused Steele), are plotting to keep him on the front page with friends on the inside.
Black and Young’s music covers many different styles. Slow and beautiful numbers like “Poor Me, Pour Me Another One” and “Museum of Loss” sit side by side with talk-sung numbers for Allen and a rocked-up number, “Die at 27” for Steele.
As the Glade’s interloper, Lucy (Maiya Quansah-Breed) has the attitude, but I felt a lack of chemistry between her and Maynard’s Kid/Neil. Mica Paris’s Martha duets with her, but I wanted one or the other to take the song and give it the emotion it deserves.
Conlon-Morrey has pathos and laughs in his character and continues to display a vibrant voice and oodles of star quality in every role. Whether handling an act one twist or an obsession with cheese, he’s a hit.
Now staged with audiences on all sides, some sightlines will be better than others, but everyone will get a slightly different experience of Rehab. Occasionally, there is an extra aside as actors come and go from the space.
The set by Simon Kenny is blocks, chairs, and a desk. The lighting (Tim Oliver) – I understand putting up a rig in this space was quite a challenge – is great, and the sound (Chris Whybtow) settles after a very loud opening number.
Rehab tackles the real problems of addiction and media intrusion while raising laughs along the way. It shouldn’t work, but there is enough her to steal my heart yet again while letting me leave smiling.
A bit of fun and frivolity with a fiery core, Rehab – and please, can we have a cast recording soon – is highly recommended.
Rehab (directed by Gary Lloyd) continues at Neon 194, Piccadilly until 17 Feb. Tickets here.
****
Image credit: Mark Senior