Wilma’s Rating ****
Is WAG the musical as awful as it sounds? I went to watch it with low hopes and very low expectations and it was every bit as awful as I thought it would be. But before you think…. ‘Oh dear, this is a bad review’ let me tell you that I didn’t stop smiling and laughing for the entire show and secretly came out beaming with delight.
The story line is what you would expect. Two girls that work on a department store make up counter. Jenny (Daisy Wood-Davis) is having an affair with a football player and Sharron (Amy Scott) comes in to work with fresh bruises from her boyfriend frequently. Mr Frank (Tim Flavin), the manager, has arranged a launch party for a new cosmetics line and has arranged for all the press (and Wags) to be there to witness it. Of course things don’t go quite as planned when pop band Scooch get stuck in traffic and handyman Basement Pete (Chris Grierson) has to perform instead (with a rather impressive Olly Murs impression).
Comedienne Alyssa Kyria plays her Greek WAG character Ariadne (a known face in theatre and TV) well and her song about coming to England was hilarious (and the three half naked male dancers didn’t do any harm either).
Wannabe WAG character Blow-Jo stands out as one of the best performances. Katie Kerr brings comedy genius to this role and I will never think of battered cod in the same way again! Nia Jermin plays welsh cougar Charmaine with a Bonnie Langford esq glint in her eye.
The songs are awful and very catchy. Sung (for the most part) badly but hilariously. It is the kind of show you would expect to watch if a real WAG decided to put on her own show with her friends using her rich husbands money.
The jokes are (at times) crude instead of funny but as the show progresses the jokes get better and better, leaving the audience in fits of laughter.
At the interval, several people left, saying they couldn’t bare to watch any more. I agreed it was like a car crash that you just can’t help but keep watching. I couldn’t resist watching act 2 and it is worth holding out for as it really picks up.
I have to be honest and tell you that I loved the show overall. I came out singing the songs all the way home with a big smile on my face. Real life WAGs Lizzie Cundy (Zoe) and Pippa Fulton (Vicci) are sure to pull the crowds in to see this show, as well as many WAG wannabes.
Now, when writing a review, I have to look at the work that has been put in to creating a show. We can’t base everything we see on whether it is as good as Les Mis or Wicked. Sometimes you have to see the potential that a show has and no matter how awful it might be, if you come out beaming a secret smile then it can’t have been that bad.
It’s awful yes, but it’s so bad it’s fabulous! I’m secretly booking a return trip to see the show again!
