Musicals inspired by real historical events are very much in vogue in the West End and beyond, but it is rare to encounter a show featuring such a large and diverse range of historical characters as Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, the latest offering from Kenny Wax Productions (most famous for that other historical musical smash hit, SIX).
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World sees schoolgirl Jade (Georgia Grant-Anderson) wander into the Gallery of Greatness on a school trip. She is looking for the teachers who have left her behind, but instead she finds a whole host of inspiring women who walk her through their achievements and show her that she too can be fantastically great.
Adapted from suffragette descendant Kate Pankhurst’s book of the same name by dramatist Chris Bush and songwriter Miranda Cooper, the show takes us on a whirlwind tour through the lives of well-known historical figures including Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Mary Seacole and Emmeline Pankhurst, as well as some the audience may be less familiar with.
This abundance of characters means that most of the cast are required to wear a number of different hats (often literally), and in several cases to speak with ever-changing accents. Meg Hateley in particular excels at this, on one occasion switching seamlessly from exaggerated French spy to defiant Mancunian and back again in the course of a single interaction.
The whole cast is strong, but Elena Breschi, returning from the previous tour cast, is a particular standout as Frida Kahlo and others, while Charlotte Jaconelli’s vocals all but blow the roof off of The Other Palace.
The premise is simple but engaging, with the women’s stories tied together by the story of Jade’s own struggles. Jade’s feelings of struggling to find her voice and to get that voice heard will resonate with many of the young people who are the show’s main target audience, but also with many adults, and young and old alike can learn and be inspired by the incredible women whose stories are being showcased.
Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World’s current run follows a recent UK tour, as well as previous residencies at London’s Stratford East theatre and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In its current form it is little-changed from the tour version, although some lines have been added and adapted, with a reference to the show’s new home at The Other Palace going down particularly well with the audience.
Cooper’s songs, with additional music by Jennifer Decilveo and live arrangements by Jen Green, are catchy and clever, from rousing suffragette anthem ‘Deeds Not Words’ to the soothing ‘Rosa’s Lullaby’, while closing track ‘Fantastically Great’ will echo in your head long after the curtain has fallen.
Notable mention must also be given to the set, designed by Joanna Scotcher, which starts as a simple pile of boxes (referencing the fact that the Gallery of Greatness is still under construction), but proves to be infinitely adaptable to the needs of the different stories being told.
The band, featuring musical director Audra Cramer and assistant musical director Nicola T. Chang on keys, and Isis Dunthorne on drums, sit atop the pile of boxes, with Dunthorne memorably climbing down to join the action in Frida Kahlo’s song ‘World of Colour’.
A night at Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World is guaranteed to uplift and inspire the whole family, and may just leave you with a new fantastically great heroine! Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World runs at The Other Palace until 8th September. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Ellie Kurrtz
Comments