Rue Magique - Kings Head Theatre

Rue Magique

Music & Lyrics: Brett Kahr

Book: Lisa Forrell

Director: Lisa Forrell

Reviewer: Adrian Pumphrey

Rue Magique is not what instantly comes into your head when you think of the term Musical. This emotive production had me at times wanting to walk out of the theatre and at times wanting to call everyone I knew to get tickets. It left me feeling moved but somewhat disturbed.

Set in grubby South London, La Rue Magique tells the story of a young girl called Sugar on her 13th birthday(Nadia di Mambro), caught in a world of prostitution. She is in an impossible situation with her draconian brothel-owning mother (Melanie la Barrie) seeing her as not much more than 'Merchandise.' Her hope transpires to be through a new friend (Terel Nugent) she finds at the corner shop, who gives her a taste of 'another kind of kiss.'

The production was casted well with superb performances from la Barrie and di Mambro alike. The dynamic between them was electric, epitamised in the song 'you belong to me/my body is my own' at the end of the first act. Terel Nugent was very fun to watch admirably brining in his natural beat boxing skill into his scenes. There were solid performances by Pimps and Prostitutes alike.

Written and directed by Lisa Forrell, this was the first Musical with music written by Brett Kahr and with an intimate setting, the ensemble did well in creating a big sound. The stirring songs had good musical arrangements save for the introduction of a garish, unwelcome drum machine making an appearance in the song 'Flex'. The small space considered, the dark and dirty set was a little too under-designed and was spoilt somewhat by the use of cheapish props.

The scene development, however had a good pace to keep interest and the inclusion of some fairly humorous moments meant I was depressed for only an hour after the performance as opposed to on into the next day. The Finale was a little disappointing and the sudden inclusion of 'another kind of kiss (reprise)' set in a grave yard felt a little for-the-sake-of-it.

Over all, this was well written, produced and performed. It was let down with comedic moments making humour out of magazines that to my mind featured women in the same industry as that which was being criticized in the whole production. La Rue Magique had a good dose of both realism and musical take, although the power of the suggestive wouldn't go a miss in one or two more scenes. This is not your every-day production but a brave venture into reforming the Musical genre.