The Scouts have changed a lot since the days of Baden Powell, not least because now anyone can join. But their core purpose of empowering young people to make a positive contribution to society remains the same, and all of this comes through in Scouts! The Musical from Gigglemug Theatre.
The fun starts long before the show does, with the actors doling out musical instruments to waiting audience members. By the time it comes to curtain up, a full-blown jamboree is underway in The Other Palace Studio.
It’s the annual Scout Games with Scouts gathered from all over the world to take part. It’s high tension as we wait to find out who has made it through to the grand-final. But things might not go to plan due to the arrival of Faye Kaname (read that aloud) who, for reasons that become apparent, is intent on taking over the Scouting movement for her own evil purposes.
It falls to Scout Leader Dylan and Joe, Ayesha, Rosie and Luke to break the hypnotic spell the rest of the Scouts have been put under. Sam Cochrane’s book is delightfully outlandish and ridiculously funny. There are moments of audience participation, but it’s done in a friendly and considerate way, so no-one needs to feel uncomfortable or wary.
The score, from former Scout David Fallon, is an intoxicating mix of everything from Tango to Rock, not forgetting the power ballads; it’s everything you want from a musical and a little bit more. But the strength of the book and score would be meaningless if it weren’t for the supremely talented cast of actor-musicians bringing it all to life.
It’s almost exhausting just watching them jump between instruments, sometimes playing more than one at the same time, singing and delivering the lines. Kemi Clarke as Scout Leader Dylan impresses early on with a tricky number that lists the many, many, Scout badges that are up for grabs. As the pantomime villain of the piece, Emily Kitchingham plays it beautifully.
Katie Pritchard as Rosie and Rob Gathercole as Luke and Linus Lionheart, bring home much of the more comedic moments, while Sydney Spencer as Ayesha, and Joel Nash as Joe, are more than believable as the heroes of the piece. In any other musical, there might have been a love story thrown in, but it’s wisely avoided here and keeps its themes deeply rooted in the values of the Scout movement.
Much like Scout Law, Scouts! The Musical is a courageous new musical and definitely makes good use of time (it’s a snappy 90 minutes). Be prepared to laugh, sing along, and feel like part of the family in this wonderfully eccentric new show.
