This musical adaptation of John Waters’ comedy of teen rebellion in 1950s America was not a big hit when it opened on Broadway in 2008. Why not? It is a deliciously satirical creation: dark, silly and utterly delightful. It sends up not only a genre of musicals that feature teen love across the divide, from West Side Story to Grease, but acerbically pokes fun at Wasp-y values and America itself – from its constitution to its sense of exceptionalism.
This first professional UK production was long overdue, and in director Mehmet Ergen’s hands it is a firecracker of a show – faster, funnier and more intelligent than so much other retro teen musical fare in the West End.
