3 weeks ago
23
Who could blame the 10-year-old in David Baddiel’s musical for wanting different parents? They named him Barry, for starters. On top of that, they are cash-strapped and his father has accidentally bought a DVD parody of a James Bond film rather than the real thing for his 007-obsessed son.
How much worse could it get? A lot worse, it turns out, when, on the eve of his 11th birthday, Barry goes disconsolately to his bedroom and falls into a parallel universe where parents can be selected. The Parent Agency (TPA) runs on a computerised system by a man who looks suspiciously like Barry’s grandad, and he goes through parents who are by turns wealthy, fit and cool but is still left wanting.
Based on Baddiel’s children’s book, this is a sweetly searching production that explores the disgruntlement of childhood. Under the direction of Tim Jackson, there is energy and colour on stage as Jon Bausor’s set cracks open, luminous and wonky to reflect an off-kilter dream world.
But Baddiel’s book here is flatfooted, the humour dad-like: there is NikNok instead of TikTok and Doom for Zoom. It is not refined or complex enough for crossover appeal, and the jokes are obvious: the cool parents are dressed as (very dated) hippies and eat mung beans, while a single mum has several cats, etc.
And while the central idea is a good one, it seems too derivative, Barry’s alternative universe crossing Dorothy’s Oz with Alice’s rabbit hole and Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but not fizzing with the imagination, and with a grating omniscient narrator who book-ends the action.
The greatest disappointment, though, is the songs (lyrics are written by Baddiel with music and additional lyrics by Dan Gillespie Sells). The opening number, Barry, is strong but songs taper into the simplistic and stompy, with uninspired lyrics.
The production’s charm comes from its spirited performances, especially from Max Bispham who plays Barry on opening night and his two sisters, played by Kazmin Borrer and Natasha Cayabyab. The latter are amusing creations, only talking in hashtags in the ordinary world, and taking on a creepy, twin-like quality in Barry’s dream. You wish for a sibling musical featuring them, rather than his more faceless parents.
There are some sparky moments too: the exercise routine on trampolines by manically fit parents; the song, TPA Inc, and the advertising blurb of parents who want to be chosen by children. It ends endearingly, with a lesson loudly sounded on the idea of “perfect” parents. This will please a younger audience.
