★★★½

“The cast’s evident delight in working together makes the production shine”

When Queen Victoria sang her favourite Mendelssohn composition, she had no idea the piece was written by Felix’s older sister. Fanny by Calum Finlay transforms that artistic erasure into a madcap domestic comedy. Audiences will embrace its energy, humour, and unapologetically loud celebration of a brilliant woman fighting to be heard.

Fanny Mendelssohn is trapped in an impossible bind. She’s a brilliant composer who must focus on marriage prospects rather than her musical talent. Fanny intercepts a royal invitation for her brother Felix to premiere a new work for Queen Victoria. Determined to take his place at the palace, Fanny unleashes a charmingly chaotic, laugh-a-minute escapade.

Finlay’s achievement lies in his astute portrayal of family dynamics. Felix (Daniel Abbott) is the confident golden boy coasting on privilege; Paul (Jeremy Lloyd) is the misunderstood, unappreciated brother; Rebecka (Danielle Phillips) is the younger sister, seething with frustration; and Fanny (Charlie Russell) burns with a talent that puts her at odds with familial expectations. Mother Lea (Kim Ismay) anchors the production. A thoroughly accomplished actress, she holds the ensemble together. The cast’s evident delight in working together makes the production shine.

But the true star is Charlie Russell who pulls the audience into her world with charisma, infectious energy and intelligent comic precision. Her fantasy orchestral conducting sequences are transformed by Movement Director Phao Wheatley into theatrical gold – these and the various chase scenes are production highlights.

Of course, one of the show’s great treats is the score itself. Yshani Perinpanayagam’s musical direction brings the Mendelssohn compositions to soaring life – whichever sibling penned these pieces, the music is glorious. Audiences will leave eager to hear more.

Each cast member takes several roles, so costume design (Sophia Pardon assisted by Emily Nelson) is particularly important. Pardon deftly manages each outfit change, subtly orienting the audience with unspoken messages about social class and location. Pardon’s set design and use of props wring maximum effect from an evidently minimal budget. David Howe’s lighting enhances the story as it twists from the inner world of Fanny composing to family dynamics to outside scenes.

The production’s weakness lies in not trusting the story to make its own point. There’s no need to spell out the moral lesson in additional speeches. This holds the production back from four-star greatness.

Still, this remains highly entertaining theatre. Think collaborative inclusivity rather than West End slick. Director Katie-Ann McDonough brings audiences into the creative process, helming a spirited, joyous production ideal for school trips or families with older teens. This is accessible comedy that raises serious questions about artistic ownership, feminism and work/life balance. The audience participation – representing orchestra sections – generates the laughs and collective investment that younger audiences will love. Be prepared for loud, energetic theatre that won’t suit every mood but will delight those ready to embrace its exuberant spirit.

The traditional Irish Noble Call is planned to follow each performance – inviting female-identifying musicians to share their work.

Fanny Mendelssohn deserved better than history gave her, and this production goes some way towards righting that wrong.

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act”

“The Frogs” – the musical ‘freely’ adapted by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from the ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes – opens with a paradox. The time is the present and the place is Ancient Greece. This tells us that the writers have given themselves license to tweak (to put it politely) the original for a modern audience. The central premise, however, needs little updating: Aristophanes used his play – at a time of crisis – as a biting satire of politics and religion, bemoaning the corruption inherent in society’s leaders and calling for the rejection of the status quo. Two-and-a-half-thousand years on we can pretty much still relate to that. What the writers have done is sprinkle it with contemporary references, added a fair dose of Sondheim’s inimitable music and lyrics and, with the help of Nathan Lane (‘even more freely’ adapted) dished up a couple of hours of mind-bogglingly, zany and funny – but inconsistent – musical theatre.

The title is a touch misleading. Yes, there are frogs. Frogs that populate the River Styx (of course!) and close Act One with a droll and incisive choral number; but beyond that they barely make an appearance. What “The Frogs” focuses on is the epic journey of Dionysos and his slave Xanthias into the Underworld and back in a bid to put the world to rights. Dionysos believes only art can save civilisation but contemporary dramatists aren’t up to scratch, so he decides ‘to go to Hell and back’ (this particular joke is milked for all its worth) to bring George Bernard Shaw back from the dead. He finds Shakespeare down there, constantly at loggerheads with Shaw. The two of them end up fighting it out in a linguistic dual, competing to see which one Dionysos will choose to accompany him back to the land of the living.

The journey is a bit of a meandering rollercoaster. Or rather log-flume, or water-chute. Although mercifully no water tanks have been employed to create a realistic representation of the Styx. Instead, Samuel Biondolillo’s evocative lighting, and Libby Todd’s clever breakaway set depict the worlds we travel through. Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act. They don’t break the fourth wall, they just take it for granted there isn’t one – which makes their on-stage chemistry and affectionate rivalry as master and slave, even more of a delight to be immersed in. They draw us into the story with ease, and we are willing accomplices. Joaquin Pedro Valdes is having great fun as the ab-flexing Herakles. Carl Patrick’s boatman Charon ups the fun stakes, veering dangerously close to indulgent, but Georgie Rankcom’s strong directorial hand keeps the cast firmly in check, possibly with the exception of Victoria Scone, as Pluto, who brings her Drag Race persona crashing onto the stage with the confidence of a fully-fledged Goddess. (Scone plays Pluto only until 31st May, after which a rota of other performers takes a week each).

The comedy’s sharpness is honed during the later stages of the show, when Bart Lambert’s Shakespeare and Martha Pothen’s Bernard Shaw tackle each other with words like drunkards brawling with bottles. Lambert’s and Pothen’s comic timing and grasp of their respective character’s linguistic styles is extraordinary and the humour, whilst more subtle, becomes increasingly satisfying the more it ditches its pantomime pizzazz.

More of a play with music than a musical, “The Frogs” is full of anachronisms and topical updates that bring the message closer to a contemporary audience. Even closer than the musical’s 1970s premiere, with references to influencers and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Bad Cinderella’ – among many others. This does add to the already heady mix of styles that can be a bit alienating, and the pointed political commentary (‘you get the leader you deserve’ for example) is a touch blunt and predictable. But there is no denying the sheer sense of fun, anarchy and silliness. Definitely worth hopping along to.

FANNY

King’s Head Theatre

★★★½

“The cast’s evident delight in working together makes the production shine”

FANNY

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 16th October 2025

by Elizabeth Botsford

Photography by David Monteith-Hodge – Photographise

Previously reviewed at this venue:

FANNY

FANNY

FANNY

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“Dan Buckley’s Dionysos and Kevin McHale’s Xanthias make a wonderful double act”

THE FROGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 27th May 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Last ten shows reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THE FROGS

THE FROGS

THE FROGS

JOIN US