A talented cast, a good premise, but requiring a deeper dive into the recovery from addiction

Before you ask, no, this show is not about Amy Winehouse, or what happens to Premier League footballers when they twist an ankle. This musical is about a fictional pop star in 1999, Kid Pop (Christian Maynard), who to be fair, has the attitude of an arrogant footballer. Kid Pop (who’s real name is Neil) is sent to a rehabilitation centre, which, if you don’t know, is a residential facility where people may go (voluntarily or otherwise) to undergo a course or treatment, typically, for drug or alcohol dependence. In the case of Kid Pop, it is Glade Rehab Centre due to his choice of jail time or sixty days in rehab following a drug conviction. Kid sees the sixty days as an extended holiday before returning to his fast and loose lifestyle. However, his experience is far from a Magaluf pool party, and we encounter the very real and potentially triggering topics of addiction and mental health during his stay. All this whilst Kid’s Manager, Malcom Stone (Keith Allen) is plotting how best to rejuvenate Kid’s career, at any cost to his wellbeing, and keep the cheques coming. 

With Music and Lyrics by Grant Black and Murray Lachlan Young and Book by Elliot Davis, utilising the lived experiences of Grant and Murray, who were manager and musician (respectively) in the late 90s. Until branding differences saw their label dropping Murray and Grant checking himself into rehab. Grant writes in the programme that with his experience in rehab it is “the people that moved me, and made me feel it had everything: laughter, tears and hope”. I feel this is what they have aimed to achieve with the characters they have created and the journeys they experience. We see elements of all three yet there are some aspects, in my opinion, preventing this musical from reaching full flight. 

For instance, I didn’t feel emotionally invested in the lead character, Kid Pop. In fact, I felt (strangely for a 2-hour performance) we didn’t get enough time to fully experience his arc. It almost felt at times that there was too much going on to actually have enough opportunity to see the shift in Kid without it seeming rushed or forced. I feel with a topic as heavy as addiction, you can’t gloss over the moments of realisation and the changes in behaviour. That being said, I did feel emotionally invested in some of the other characters at the Glade Rehab Centre, namely, Phil/Phillipa Newman (Oscar Conlon-Morrey). Phil or Phillipa is in the Glade as they have a gambling addiction, and an over-eating disorder. Conlon-Morrey brilliantly captivated the audience with genuine emotion and fantastic comedic timing.  

The whole cast were incredibly strong, for instance Keith Allen as Kid Pop’s Manager Malcolm Stone a: sleezy, narcissistic, self-absorbed man, only caring about his own fortune – a brilliant casting for the former Sheriff of Nottingham. Although this time there was no chance of Robin Hood swooping in to save the day, instead a battle of wit with the delivery of quips like a flurry of arrows between Stone and his Assistant, Beth (Jodie Steele). The singing from the whole cast was at a monumentally high standard. Some of the tunes were very catchy and were made memorable by the ability of the cast. Mica Paris MBE as Martha Prosser, the Glade Supervisor, had possibly the most impressive, soulful voice I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing live. I was lucky enough to be sat merely centimetres away from Paris for multiple harmonies, which was a real privilege. Paris and Maiya Quansah-Breed, who played Lucy Blake (a single mum planted in the Glade by Stone to gather info and dirt on Kid Pop), had the most hair-raising duet ‘Museum of Loss’, belting high notes and hitting everyone to their core. Conlon-Morrey’s ‘Ordinary Girl’ raised the roof and had a few of the audience in tears. Maynard’s ‘Falling’ displayed his frankly outrageous vocal range. Jodie Steele owning the space with ‘Die at 27’, I honestly could list every song performed by the cast.

This performance joins new venue Neon 194, following a sold-out run at the Playground Theatre in 2022. Where there is some real charm to this night club and events venue, I do believe the venue and the staging slightly detracted from the performance. The flat stage on the round without staggered or raised seating meant that you might miss an important interaction, glance, or section of choreography. Additionally, the Neon 194 bar being visible throughout the performance past the stage (and being free during the interval) did seem quite an inappropriate irony considering a major theme of the show was alcohol addiction. This is not to blame the venue, drinks are available at every theatre, and they aren’t going to knock down the bar just to rebuild it at the end of the run, it just seemed a bizarre production decision to me.    

Overall, I was slightly frustrated as the talent is there and the premise is there, however, I believed it lacked that needed feeling of redemption; seeing Kid Pop heal, grow, and connect with the other Glade residents. The potential is there for Rehab the Musical to be a success, though I believe it may be quite like ‘marmite’. I found myself in a bit of a love/hate relationship throughout, although it was all love for the cast and the quite incredible and numerous costume changes ( an applaud for Teatum Jones, the Costume Designer). So should you see this show? Well, this is a fun musical, you will have moments you laugh, and you will probably go home singing (albeit far worse than the cast). But if addiction and rehab institutions are things that may be quite personal to you, please approach this musical knowing that you may be left wanting. So if your friends try to make you go watch Rehab, why not go, go go?…