There is no better feeling than walking into a new musical you know nothing about and being blown away. When We Strike is marketed as a ‘punk-rock musical’ about the Match Girls’ strike of 1888, a significant moment in the history of labour rights in the UK, and it certainly delivers. This musical highlights a piece of history that some younger audience members may not be familiar with, and what better way to find out about it than by singing and dancing about it.
From costumes designed to soundtrack (Caitlyn Burt and Amir Shoenfeld), the punk-rock element is certainly felt throughout. The simple staging means that there is nowhere to hide, not that any of the cast seem to want to. Each of them takes to the stage as if they have been doing so their whole lives, almost making you forget that some of them are as young as 11 years old.
This 80-minute, no interval musical features a cast of young girls (or non-binary) who are all fantastic. There are lots of short solos and cameo roles, so that every cast member gets their shot in the spotlight, and they all hit the mark. While there were perhaps a few standouts, which is hard to do with a cast of around 30, they all performed seamlessly as one, united front. Blending 30 voices on stage so that it isn’t just noise that hits your ears is no easy feat, but one this musical handles without trouble.
The high-energy spills from the stage, keeping you gripped and invested throughout. The humour sprinkled throughout is second to none, and the cast deliver it well. It’s also pretty much a guarantee that you’ll have the soundtrack spinning round your head long after you’ve left the theatre, we need a cast recording pronto! There is a fantastic mix of anthems, intimate duets and humorous numbers that feel fresh and well produced.
The lack of interval helps keep the pace snappy and engaging, though it’s possible the last quarter could have done with an extra 10 minutes to play with. The last 20 minutes felt quite rushed, with the pace almost picking up too much with a lot of things thrown at you in very quick succession. But really, that’s a small note when looking at the musical as a whole. Sat somewhere between Oliver and Newsies, it’s the sort of musical that knows exactly what it is and does it fantastically well, making you wish you could rock on a little bit longer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Greta Zabulyte
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