A True Risk Worth Taking: ‘Nancy’ Becomes A Five-Star Review

★★★★★ | Becoming Nancy is a melting pot of many iconic bits of entertainment favourites: a glorious mix of Heartstopper and High School Musical The Musical: The Series, blended together into an hilariously British nostalgia trip for anyone who did a production of Oliver! as a child (and whether or not we are willing to admit it, that’s all of us at some point in our theatre kid past life).

It's inspired by the true story of Terry Ronald – one of the show's writers – who in the late 1970s, was asked to play the part of Nancy in a production of Oliver!. With an incredibly big cast of 26(!), this original British musical brings choreography for the heavens, laughs for days, and a realistic heartfelt story of coming-of-age and queer awakening.

The company of Becoming Nancy. Photo Credit: Mark Senior

The story focuses on David Starr (Joseph Peacock), a year 12 student eagerly awaiting the cast list for the show (Oliver!) within this show (Becoming Nancy), joined by his best friend and fellow misfit Frances Bassey (Paige Peddie), who also auditioned. As the cast list is revealed, David has his hopes up for the role of Fagin, but it all comes crashing down when he is told that he’s playing Nancy – and he is on the fence about whether he will accept the offer.

This is where real life and theatrical fiction diverge. In the true story, Terry Ronald turns down the offer. "I didn't do it. I wasn't brave enough," he revealed in the programme booklet. "I didn't want to stand out." But for Becoming Nancy's protagonist, however, in comes Maxie Boswell (Joseph Vella). The new student on the football team, who also does drama, convinces David that this may be a good idea, since he has also been cast in the show to play Bill Sykes. If the two work together hard enough, Maxie reasons, the audience won’t even realise that David is a boy in a dress costume. All this unfolds in the titular number "Becoming Nancy" – my absolute favourite in the show.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows; as our story takes place in the 70s, we quickly see the physical and verbal abuse that David and Frances go through as the drama/suspected gay kid and only black girl in the class, especially since they only, at times, have each other to hold onto. Whilst both of them try to stand up for themselves in school and at home, it remains a very hard-hitting watch given how much it's still relatable to scores of audience members today.

The company of Becoming Nancy. Photo Credit: Mark Senior

Alongside Maxie, the iconically flamboyant Sting, Blondie, and Kate Bush come alive out of posters to give David the "You Do You" confidence when he’s spiralling alone following realisations about his onstage husband that open a few closet doors about his sexuality. A special mention ought to be called for Rebecca Trehearn's beautiful "Six Inches From Your Heart"; her pipes are just unreal, and sobs could be heard all over the auditorium.

We pick up after the interval with a week's time jump – contextualised by David breaking the fourth wall in an awkward situation where he has to invite a girl over for his birthday dinner to divert his parents' suspicions. When the meal understandably goes pear-shaped and the poor girl Abigail Henson (Daisy Greenwood) leaves in tears, it’s up to Aunt Val (Genevieve Nicole) with all the advice in the duet we didn’t know we needed ‘On The Night Bus’.

At its core, Becoming Nancy chronicles our schoolboys' journey throughout the learning and rehearsing process for Oliver!, and it is here that choreography by THE Jerry Mitchell turns everything up from 10 to 1000. From "Welcome to the Beat of My Heart", to "The Play’s The Thing" and "Big Night Tonight", the ensemble actors deserve their flowers every night for the electrifying energy they bring into the Birmingham Rep auditorium.

The company of Becoming Nancy. Photo Credit: Mark Senior

After a pretty rough evening stuck with traditional parents, and a trip that swiftly turns from great to horrible, David seeks refuge in a friend's house, asking the question that all queers will resonate deeply with, whether once or every day:

'Does it get better?’ Becoming Nancy's answer is yes; perhaps not overnight, but it does. "The Risk", which David sings after being empowered with the final push he needs to dominate the stage, is one of the best 11 o’clock numbers I’ve heard for a long time.

Heartwarming but bittersweet, this musical tells a true story that represents the lived experiences of many closeted queer people growing up in the late 20th century. When the company takes their bows at the end, there are only tears of happiness that it happened. "I’d Do Anything" to watch this show get all the awards and transfers it deserves.

★★★★★

Becoming Nancy plays at the Birmingham Rep until 8 November. A 6-track EP is available for streaming.