British Musicals: 'Bananaman: The Musical' (2017)
Book, Music and Lyrics by Leon Parris.
History:
The
launch of a new DC Thompson comic 'Nutty' in 1980 required the
creation of a new superhero. The year before, 'Superman - The Movie'
had captivated British children, so editor David Donaldson needing a
hero with similar a-peel (geddit?) worked with writer Steve Bright to
develop a very British superhero who cleverly poked fun at the 'why
so serious' portrayals of superheroes Stateside. Bananaman and his
alter ego Eric Wimp became the 'Nutty' cover-star, and between 1983
and 1986, the BBC aired a cartoon series based on Bananaman and
featuring the voices of the members of The Goodies. Parts of the
character were changed for the series: he was now called Eric Twinge,
had an distinctive banana shaped hairstyle rather than punk stubble,
and had a love interest (only when transformed) in the form of Fiona,
an newsreader based on Selina Scott and also a possible homage to
Lois Lane. Bananaman continues his adventures, reimagined by comic
super-artist, Wayne Thompson. He also continues to appear in both the
'Dandy' and 'Beano' annuals.
In
2017, Bananaman again rose from the page in a musical by Leon Parris,
whose previous shows include Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five,
Wolfboy, Stig of the Dump and Monte Cristo, among others.
Parris, winner of a Vivian Ellis Award for Best Musical and a Really
Useful Group Award for Most Promising Writer, had watched the cartoon
series every day after school and read the comic strip instead of
doing homework, and when looking for a new subject for a family
musical, returned to childhood for inspiration. The premiere of this
musical was at Southwark Playhouse on 15th December 2017.
Plot:
Eric
Wimp's life is stuck in a rut living in Acacia Road - being bullied
at school, eating his mother's unusual cooking, helping out in the
family fruit shop, and failing to ask out his classmate, Fiona. But
will the crashing of a comet into Acacia Rise lead all this to change
? And will Doctor Gloom and General Blight manage to enact their
(separate) evil plans ? Acacia Road needs a hero
(preferably full of Potassium).
In
a Nutshell:
Is it bananas to rely on a man dressed in blue and yellow to save your town ?
Production:
I
saw the show near the end of its run and was pleased to see two names
that I recognised from a previous Southwark Playhouse production -
'The Toxic Avenger' - Marc Pickering & Lizzi Hills. Entering the
auditorium, I was in nostalgia heaven with 'Bananaman' comic strips
on the back wall, and a playlist of 1980's Childrens TV theme tunes
playing - including 'Dogtanian', 'Poddington Peas', 'Rhubbarb' and
'Pigeon Street'. The set was minimal as with many SP productions, but
was appropriately used, with a pair of moving steps being used to
gain access to a mezzanine level for some scenes.
The songs were excellent - with a few moments that were clear variations on Dave Cooke's legendary theme tune. In keeping with the series, Eric and Bananaman were played by different actors - Mark Newnham and Matthew McKenna, with both getting their respective characterisations perfect - nerdy vs. idiot. Lizzii Hills was again the superhero's mother, and there was solid support from TJ Lloyd as Chief O'Reilly, Emma Ralston as Fiona (now a teenage newsblogger) and particularly Jodie Jacobs (who I saw in 'Rock of Ages' several years ago) as Crow, who appeared in-vision with the Crow puppet a la 'Avenue Q'.
However, the show belonged to the bad guy, namely Marc Pickering's Doctor Gloom, with his nasally voice and over-the-top evil plans. General Blight (Carl Mullaney) was relegated to a comedy sidekick, but did get his own chance to shine in Act 2.
Full
of puns, and including one sequence that had the entire auditorium
laughing, a good night seemed to be had by all, the audience
seemingly full of 'children of the 1980's' and their children. An
evening of nostalgia that I am glad I did not miss.
'Bananaman
- The Musical' ran at the Southwark Playhouse in London from 15th
December 2017 to 20th January 2018.
Signature Song:
Definitely
'A Call to Arms' (see below), in which Dr. Gloom motivates his
troops (including 'The Weatherman' and 'Eddie The Gent'.
Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?
Although the YouTube videos below indicate a case recording session, I have not seen it for sale. I would definitely buy it. However, I have downloaded the two available tracks from YouTube.
Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?
Although the YouTube videos below indicate a case recording session, I have not seen it for sale. I would definitely buy it. However, I have downloaded the two available tracks from YouTube.
Links:
YouTube - 'A Call To Action' (also 'Every Great
Cliche')
