Sometimes a musical comes along that is undeniably fantastic. The fringe is, a lot of the time, a soundboard for work that is in progress. Buzz however, was a polished piece of West End worthy theatre.
Following the story of Angie (Allie Munro) post breaking up with her dead-end boyfriend turned rock star and her discovery of the history and the world of vibrators, the show is a breakup story filled with hilarious and yet touching (excuse the pun) moments. It hits the perfect balance of comedic moments and songs yet still has a message throughout. It is intelligently written and acted by the whole cast, Robyn Grant’s Chrissy, Angie’s best friend, being a particular highlight. Her hilarious physicality, timing and incredible voice brings the story alive (she is also the writer of the show). She is charming and likeable and the stand out performance in the show.
So often musicals like this fall victim of being gimmicky, relying on a funny subject matter and a risqué topic to make up for lack of content. Buzz however, is not one of these musicals. The writing team of Grant and James Ringer-Beck have created this brilliantly fast paced, poignant and yet slightly surreal piece that I hope has a future life. The audience were in the palm of their hand, and there is never a dull moment. Too often musicals allow themselves to be one dimensional. I hope that Buzz is seen for years to come.
Reviewed by Kara Taylor Albers (@karaalberts)