Rehab the Musical – Review

Rehab the Musical: Neon 194 Piccadilly, London.

20th January 2024

★★★

Set in 1999, jaded pop star, Kid Pop, finds himself in court, after being caught red-handed in a drug fuelled tabloid sting. When the judge gives Kid the choice between jail time or a rehabilitation centre, its off to rehab for Kid. Rehab the Musical balances comedy with hard-hitting content to tell the universal story about striving to change our lives for the better, and that just for today, we’ll be ok.

Rehab the Musical has found a new home in pop-up theatre in Neon 194 Piccadilly after a successful run at the Playground Theatre in 2022. This musical has heart and not only that but some catchy songs to boot. Maiya Quansah-Breed is excellent portraying the young mum (Lucy) who is sent into rehab to report on Kid Pop’s antics by manager Malcolm Stone (Keith Allen). Vocally, Quansah-Breed impresses throughout in particular during ‘Ordinary Girl’ and ‘Museum of Loss’.

A stand out performance comes from Oscar Conlon-Morrey, who manages to steal the show. Audiences quickly fall for his comic humour and then his heartbreak as we learn more about his character, both as Phil and Philippa. Conlon-Morrey’s vocals are superb and full of emotion. In fact, at times it is his storyline which overtakes that of the main character Kid Pop (played by Christian Maynard). Whilst the story is centred around Kid Pop, at times this gets lost amongst the other characters making this show very much an ensemble piece. It would have been nice to see more of Kid Pop and his journey through rehab, fighting his demons and coming out the other side.

The music written by Grant Black and Murray Lachlan Young is a good mix of hilarious, upbeat numbers with witty lyrics to emotional, heartfelt ballads. The story flows through these musical numbers and the sudden change of tempo or emotion works well to keep the pace of the show. There are a number of stand out songs but ‘Museum of Loss’, ‘Two Broken People’ and of course ‘Wanker’ are all excellent. All of the songs are performed brilliantly by a stellar cast.

In such a small, new venue the sound quality can be hard to manage but the levels are just right with all vocals being easily heard and not too overpowering. Lighting by Tim Oliver is good and Simon Kenny’s minimalist set works well although some of the transitions feel slightly slow. However, for a show about addiction, notably alcohol and drug addiction, it does feel an odd choice being held in a bar with people drinking, and of course the clunking of glasses being knocked over as a backdrop for the production.

Rehab the Musical is funny and yet unafraid to tackle serious issues. It has heart and the clever story is told exceptionally well by a talented cast. There are a few flaws with the production and not all of the characters are developed as much as they could be but the over-riding theme of beating addiction, owning your feelings and changing your life for the better comes shining through. This is a rom-com of a musical with a superb cast and well worth a visit.

Rehab the Musical plays at Neon 194 Piccadilly, London until the 17th February. For information and tickets click here: https://rehabthemusical.com/

Photo Credit: Mark Senior