Theatre review: Cry-Baby, The Musical

Not actually a Jemini jukebox show, Adam Schlesinger (music,) David Javerbaum (lyrics,) Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan's (book) Cry-Baby, The Musical is in fact an adaptation of the 1990 John Waters film. Perhaps not the most obvious candidate to be turned into a musical, given that the original film already was one, but in terms of story it's a good candidate to follow Hairspray to the stage. Another trashy piss-take of the myths of mid-20th century Americana, this one sees the teenagers of 1954 Baltimore divided into two groups: The rich, preppy and virginal Squares, and the poor, rebellious and horny Drapes. Allison (Lulu-Mae Pears) is a Square, but she secretly wants to be a Drape, especially when she meets their bad-boy leader Wade Walker (Adam Davidson,) known as Cry-Baby because the last time he cried was when both his parents were sent to the electric chair for a crime they didn't commit.

Allison and Cry-Baby are soon kissing with tongues at the Drapes' hangout, but Square Baldwin Blandish (Elliot Allinson) wants Allison for himself, and soon Cry-Baby finds history repeating itself as he's quickly accused and sentenced for arson.

I found this very much a show of two halves, and I can't discount the possibility that the performance I caught just happened to take a while to warm up - there were positives in the first act but as soon as the second started everything kicked up several notches. The script certainly channels a lot of the anarchic spirit of Waters' original - I don't think I've seen it since it first came out 35 years ago but there were definitely lines and moments that instantly came back to me.

But Mehmet Ergen's production felt like it was holding back: There's certainly an element of camp that could have been explored more, but the energy also seemed to noticeably dip with every song, the moments when it should really be picking up the most. Apparently this is the largest-cast production the Arcola has ever had on its stage and I think this is part of it, as the cast all seemed slightly hesitant of Chris Whittaker's choreography, as if worried they'd kick the front row if they let loose too much.

Whatever the reasons I wasn't quite hooked in Act I they seemed to be gone in Act II - it doesn't hurt that it opens with the show's standout song "Misery, Agony, Helplessness, Hopelessness, Heartache and Woe," a pitch-perfect pastiche of 50s love ballads that's an instant earworm and gives the majority of the main cast their own moment in the spotlight. From here on in the energy and camp are right where they need to be and Waters' social satire gets to play out in all its caustic comedy (the Squares barely even remember to pretend the difference in the groups isn't entirely socioeconomic, while the Drapes are such inoffensive rebels they make the T-Birds from Grease look like the Yakuza - Cry-Baby's biggest vice is Robitussin.)

Davidson and Pears also start to make more convincing comic leads from here on in, but this is a show that's generous to its supporting cast as well: Eleanor Walsh regularly gets to steal the show as Cry-Baby's wild-eyed stalker Lenora Frigid, and the musical gets to have its cake and eat it with Chad Saint Louis' Dupree W. Dupree, who gets some showstopping vocals while also serving as a gag about American musicals' tendency to have a supporting actor upstage the main cast with vocal gymnastics. The most acidic John Waters moments though come via Shirley Jameson as Allison's grandmother, a smiling sociopath with some of the weirdest, funniest lines ("You've not been taking care of yourself Allison. You lather and rinse but you don't repeat. YOU DON'T REPEAT!")

So after a wobbly start that made me think we were in for a show that would be fun but not quite live up to expectations, everything clicks into place for something that captures some of Waters' particular brand of anarchy and has a lot of laugh-out loud moments (Cry-Baby invites Allison to join him in singing "Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby (Baby Baby)": "But I don't know the words!")

Cry-Baby, The Musical by Adam Schlesinger, David Javerbaum, Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan is booking until the 12th of April at the Arcola Theatre's Studio 1.

Running time: 2 hours 25 minutes including interval.

Photo credit: Charlie Flint.