I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL

The Other Palace

★★★

“Almost sung through, and brilliantly so, the musical has still to find its voice”

The rock musical, “I Was a Teenage She-Devil”, opens with a bang; and as though aware that the only way is up, it keeps the energy levels pushing the high end of the rev meter to danger point. Eighty minutes and twenty-two songs later we are a little bit breathless. The show’s protagonist claims she has been to ‘Hell and back’, but it would be a stretch for us to make a similar assertion. It really isn’t deep enough to get anywhere near the underworld.

Sean Matthew Whiteford, the one responsible for the book, music, lyrics and orchestrations, hit upon the idea fifteen years ago. Originally titled “Girlfriend from Hell” it is a mash up of eighties, horror, cult movies and high school musical. ‘Grease’ meets ‘Cruel Intentions’, with a deal with the Devil thrown in among the many other gore-infested influences. On paper it is a chaotic mess. On stage it is similarly anarchic and shambolic, yet it knows precisely its target audience and goes straight for the jugular.

The premise is wafer-thin (as are the characters). Set in an American High School, Nancy (Aoife Haakenson) is the four-eyed, nerdy wallflower ostracised by the popular kids – the jocks and the cheerleaders and the cool ones. Bullied to breaking point she cries out for help. To the rescue comes Satan (Sean Arkless) with an offer she can’t refuse. The price is her soul. Obviously. The outcome is a bit of a bloodbath. Revenge is far from sweet, but redemption is a sugar rush.

Tiffani (Caitlin Anderson) is banned from the cheerleader squad for being cruel to Nancy. Aided by her boyfriend Big Rod (Jordan Fox) she decides to humiliate Nancy. We are not sure why Nancy delves into such pits of despair – she seems to be supported by (very) close friend Debbie (Ashley Goh). But love is blind, remember, and before we can open our eyes we have to experience the darkness. We know exactly where this story is going, every step of the way. Yet it is a funny and farcical romp through the guitar-powered score and the witty dialogue, firmly rooted in the eighties. There are constant references to the movies that inform the text, many of which would go over our heads if it weren’t for video-store worker Doobie (Jacob Birch) on hand to explain the joke. Completing the line up are Todd (Louis Hearsey) and Heather (Charis Stockton).

The script, like the song list, highlights the ensemble nature of the show. The supporting characters have some of the best lines, and everyone has their solo number. All eight cast members have the vocal ability, agility and variety to scale the heights of the rock belt and also to dip into the smooth waters of the ballads (Goh, in particular, achieves this with the dynamic ‘Looking for Love’). They say the Devil has all the best tunes, but here he has to share them with his co-stars. ‘Raise Some Hell’ is exactly what it says on the tin – an ensemble piece heralding Nancy’s transformation into spiky bad girl. Arkless’ Satan is more seventies Glam, while wearing the studded jockstrap pilfered form eighties band Cameo’s lead singer. It (the song – not necessarily the jockstrap) is a highlight, bathed in smoke, red light and gleeful appreciation from the audience. We are in Rocky Horror territory at times (‘Satanic Panic’), but the bulk of the repertoire – along with the hair styles and costume – is power pop through and through.

Director and choreographer Rachel Klein has her work cut out keeping the cast within the confines of the venue’s studio space. With the audience up close, and with the abundance of severed limbs flying around, safety must be an issue. And there’s the crux. The show errs on the safe and the predictable. A superficiality, and a mildness even, that the high-octane performances can’t disguise. Almost sung through, and brilliantly so, the musical has still to find its voice. While the characters are either looking for love or revenge or blood, we are looking for the teeth that can draw that blood. It won’t raise Hell. But it is easy to swallow, and a whole lot of fun with a devilishly fine cast.

I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 8th April 2026

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL

★★★

“an intriguing, confronting piece made for our times”

What does it mean to be seen? In an age of polished online personas, we’re more visible – and invisible – than ever. In its first major London revival since 2012, Simon Paris delivers a sharply human take on online stalking in Phil Porter’s ‘Blink’ – though it could do with a little more bite.

Sophie’s dad dies, leaving her lost and alone; hundreds of miles away, Jonah loses his mother. Several strange coincidences later, they’re living in the same building. Sophie spots Jonah nursing a sick fox and sends him an anonymous gift – a baby monitor livestreaming her living room. Whether what follows is love, co-dependency or stalking, you decide – but you won’t be able to look away.

Porter’s unflinching play premiered in 2012 – before social media was the beast it is now – yet it nails the murky ethics of parasocial attachment, boundary erosion and consent. The script is richly layered, cleverly weaving contrasting takes on the same events, and balancing full circle moments with enough ambiguity to keep you guessing. It’s both creepy and endearing, conjuring sinister imagery as you root for not one but two antiheroes. It’s also very funny, with a bracingly unfiltered edge. Though the masterstroke is our complicity – as their gaze becomes ours, how much responsibility do we shoulder?

Paris’ direction deftly humanises an increasingly familiar – though no less troubling – dynamic. Tiny shifts in body language betray the characters’ true feelings. The breezy detachment around death and depression heightens the core tension between perception and reality. The parasocial bond builds and unravels in several ways – most strikingly the furniture solidifies as the connection deepens. That said, the pacing could be tighter in places – the opening and closing hesitancy works well, but elsewhere the cast pulls back when they need momentum. That breezy detachment, while thematically apt, sometimes leaves moments feeling a touch out of reach. Paris keeps the baby monitor, though would a smartphone ring more true? Still, it’s a commanding take on a demanding script.

Casting social media star Abigail Thorn as Sophie is a stroke of genius, throwing the issues straight into the spotlight. Thorn nails the tortured but inarticulate soul, keeping her true feelings under wraps until they can’t help but break through. That said, some moments feel a touch too restrained, and the pacing could be sharper in places. Joe Pitts’ Jonah is disarmingly creepy. Pitts fully commits to the off beat wildcard, burning with unhinged devotion for Sophie balanced against quieter sincerity. Pitts’ comedic timing is also razor sharp.

Emily Bestow’s design is stunning. The translucent furniture gaining and losing solidity is a clever visual metaphor. The black mirror floor creates the illusion of watching on a smartphone. Matt Powell’s video design sharpens the illicit feel with degraded video textures. Sophie’s fragmented body – zooming in on her eyes, hands, lips – is strikingly voyeuristic. Pre recorded inserts smartly reveal the other character’s perspective, even if the timing occasionally slips. Peter Small’s lighting draws the audience in from the start, with soft house lights keeping us in Jonah’s orbit before shifting to more theatrical settings, creating striking shifts between intimacy and distance. Sam Glossop’s soundscape layers music and subtle tones, with abrupt jolts snapping you back to reality. Costumes are pared back but Sophie’s deliberate return to the off shoulder look suggests her ‘casual’ vibe is anything but accidental.

Paris’ take on ‘Blink’ has flashes of real brilliance, even if it could use a little more punch. Still, it’s an intriguing, confronting piece made for our times that’s well worth catching.

Tag Archives: Emily Bestow

I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL

★★★

The Other Palace

I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL

The Other Palace

★★★

“Almost sung through, and brilliantly so, the musical has still to find its voice”