Becoming Nancy

Photo credit: Mark Senior

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Becoming Nancy almost feels like a musical that was written for me, as a gay stage-y type it’s difficult not to empathise with the main character and it manages to bring back memories, some pleasant: some painful. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves! 

Becoming Nancy is the story of David Starr (portrayed by Joseph Peacock) and his challenges after being cast as Nancy in his school’s production of Oliver! It’s based on the novel by Terry Ronald, who also wrote a few of the songs, and the novel is based on an experience that Ronald himself went through in the 1970s. Unusually it was originally staged in Atlanta in The States, which I find particularly strange as it is such a British experience! School plays, School Discos, the night bus, it’s all such a throwback experience to a British school.

And it leans into reminiscence, it’s set in the 70’s and everything is just so 70’s. The costumes and staging are a delight, and there’s a few moments where David’ posters come to life (David Bowie, Blondie and Kate Bush, natch.) which leans, if anything, even harder into the 70’s nostalgia. The costume designer is Jean Chan and the costumes, from the school sports clothes to the disco outfits in Brighton, all tie-together to really immerse you in the era. 

The cast are incredibly strong. The lead is David Starr, played by Joseph Peacock who is completely loveable from the get-go and throughout. In my experience it can be very difficult to portray friendships on stage — It very often comes across as forced and wooden but the chemistry between David Starr and Frances (Paige Peddie) is undeniable. Indeed it wasn’t until they sing together in the title song, Becoming Nancy that I really got into the swing of things! 

I want to bring up the especially strong performance of Hamish McCiarnon (Stephen Ashfield) who plays the drama teacher who’s casting sets off the entire story of the play. He has a huge amount of energy which he adds to every scene in which he appears, with his dramatic flouncing of his trademark yellow drama-teacher cardigan signalling that I’m about to be laughing solidly for the next few minutes. And then, without wishing to spoil too much, he manages to bring the entire story together in a heartfelt dialogue.

The soundtrack is an absolute delight and I’m sad that only a few of the songs are available on Spotify so far (and I’d definitely recommend giving it a listen!) The highlights are Just for Tonight, Becoming Nancy, On the Night Bus, and Abigail Henson — which is the opening song to Act two. And we’ll get to Abigail…

Abigail Henson (Daisy Greenwood) is a friend of David’s who is keen on being in a relationship with him, oblivious to the fact that he’s gay. Her story is initially played for laughs, but it actually turns out to be incredibly moving, and Daisy Greenwood plays the part superbly. Her story resolves with On the Night Bus (available on Spotify!) a delightful duet with the supremely loveable Aunt Val - played by Genevieve Nicole. Genevieve also plays the wildly eccentric version of Kate Bush, which never failed to get roaring laughter from the audience.

Overall this musical is an absolute delight to see and I highly recommend going while it’s still available in Birmingham - until 2nd November. It’s such a delight to see such a moving story, a fantastic cast and a banging soundtrack all on one stage!