The Parent Agency; a brand new British musical is on now at The Storyhouse Chester and we were lucky enough to attend the premier to review.
This weekend we spent our whole dog walk and breakfast talking over the show, the brilliant cast and…whether we’d ever trade our families.
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The musical was adapted by comedian and author David Baddiel from his best-selling (and award winning) book with music and additional lyrics by the lead singer of The Feeling; (and composer of Everybody’s Talking about Jamie) Dan Gillespie Sells. Directed by Tim Jackson with an able supporting cast from the BRILLIANT Storyhouse led by Suzie, Creative Director and Helen, Head of Producing, it was a total joy to be one of the first to see this story translated to the stage.
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If you’ve not read The Parent Agency book it’s currently for sale on Amazon for just £5.88!
The story is based around a lad called Barry who is about to turn 11 and is fed up of his boring parents. Four days before his birthday the show sees Barry magically transported into an alternative world where children can choose their family with the help of The Parent Agency.
The lead for our performance was played by an excellent young actor; Louis Wilkins perfectly cast as Barry. Barry is on stage for the whole show and has a huge amount to do – he was superb with great timing and stage presence.
We all absolutely loved the show opening which features the voice of David Baddiel talking to Barry, it felt really unique and fresh. The opening number was really funny and set the scene fantastically so we knew we were in for a entertaining few hours.
The supporting cast were excellent- Max Bispham played Derek in our performance (but is also cast as one of the other 3 Barry’s) has a stunning singing voice and nailed some emotionally charged songs. The whole crew looked really comfortable in their roles and that will only improve and develop with each performance.
The set was really simple and cleverly designed and the cast moved around it brilliantly- we loved the trampoline scene and dances in particular.
Over the course of the performance we meet four alternative families who all have their benefits, money, fame, energy and the biggy… no rules but, at the end of the day Barry begins to recognise that the grass isn’t always greener.
Reading the programme during the interval it was clear just how much has gone into this production from the casting to the workshops, chaperones, choreography it seems like a real family of a crew and it was lovely to hear from David Baddiel Tim Jackson to introduce their vision to us before the performance began.
Despite enjoying the performance my tears during the final scenes caught me off guard but maybe, as a midlife mum watching her own children grow up, sometimes pushing boundaries, perhaps I should have expected it; Parental love is messy and mundane and sometimes requires us to be boring- who knew! Talking of parental love; There was lots of support in the audience from proud parents, friends and family of the cast and crew and they were right to join the rest of us in a standing ovation at the close of the performance.
WELL DONE DAVID BADDIEL AND CO- WE LOVED THE PARENT AGENCY AND CAN’T WAIT FOR IT TO SMASH THE WEST END.
As it is a musical for families, I’ve given the last word to the girls;
“We have been reading David Baddiel’s books with our dad- who is a big fan- since we were little so it was really special to see The Parent Agency on stage. It was around 2 hours 15 with an interval and was packed with singing dancing and jokes and didn’t feel too boring or long at any point. We are 12 and 13 and didn’t feel it was too young for us at all. We thought the targeted age range was around 8 to 14 but there was a good mix of all ages at the show itself.
It was a great, fun show performed really well by rather a lot of fairly young actors. It didn’t feel like you needed to have read the book to understand the show. They had some nice merchandise like special edition books, T-shirts and hoodies. It was definitely worth the watch and we would absolutely recommend it.”
It is notoriously hard to get a new musical off the ground but I really want to see this one succeed. It’s brilliant, British and it started out in one of our home theatres, the splendid Storyhouse. Get yourselves there this half term- you won’t regret it.
**taken from the storyhouse email**
You might not know this, but before Matilda the Musical became a global phenomenon, it began its life in Stratford upon Avon. Now, Storyhouse is doing the same for The Parent Agency – premiering it here before it heads to the West End and embarks on a worldwide tour.
This is a huge moment for Storyhouse and for our city. Bringing world-class theatre to Chester before it goes anywhere else is at the heart of our mission. This is a big deal, and we can’t wait for you to experience this show.
We know how much our audiences love theatre – your support makes Chester an incredible place to open new shows. That’s why we’re inviting you to be part of something truly special. Come and see The Parent Agency here first, before the rest of the world gets the chance.
What’s more – we control the ticket prices at Storyhouse, which means you can experience this musical at the lowest ticket prices possible. Once it hits the West End, ticket prices will soar.
This is your opportunity to experience it first, at the best price, right on your doorstep.
We want to show West End and international theatre producers that Chester is the place to open their new shows. Your incredible support for The Time Traveller’s Wife in 2023 helped make this possible – now, let’s do it again.
Join us in making theatre history. Be part of this world premiere.
