Great Pretenders: The Musical
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate
You could quite easily sit through Great Pretenders, a small-scale musical about wannabe tribute acts, and be a prude. Or, with even greater ease, you could sit back and enjoy it.
Skepticism is not dispelled by the slightly shaky and underwhelming opening, bizarrely entitled 'When the day is over'. Neither is it dispelled by the introduction of the almost irritatingly idealistic Joyce (Jennifer Saayeng) and the predictably vulgar Irishman, Liam - Luke Jastal. But this is not a show about profundity and obfuscation. It is an energy-fuelled and well-rounded piece about petty rivalry and uprooting secrets that succeeds in the balance and clarity of its story.
Although there is often a feeling of the inevitable - with plot, music and gags - there are definite moments of surprise. The macho PJ, played by Leon Kay, reveals himself to be a Liza Minnellli impersonator, and to have a deeper crisis about the acceptance and tolerance of this than we might at first imagine. So too, the tense reunion between Rebecca Bainbridge’s Paula and Andy (David Higgins) - the most convincingly played storyline in the show - is compelling, despite its sentimentality.
The fantastically detailed set, designed by Gemma Harris, enhanced the plausibility of the dressing room scenario. Graffiti on the inside of the toilet door, postcards round the mirrors and cluttered coffee cups give the sense of a backstage area that has been used and abused.
Great Pretenders is superficial, but this is overridden by the fact that it is undeniably entertaining. Escapist, yes, but pretentious it is not.
Helena S. Rampley
Great Pretenders: The Musical runs until 15th November
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