Before there was One Day (the TV show), there was One Day (the beloved book)... and One Day (the critically panned film). David Nicholls’s 2009 novel is considered the gold standard of 21st-century love stories, but I’ve always had a softer spot for his debut, Starter For 10. This 2003 book, about a likeable and nerdy teen from Southend-on-Sea who dreams of appearing on University Challenge, might have less broad appeal, but it’s a similarly sparky story, and even spawned its own film starring a baby-faced James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall and Alice Eve. A musical adaptation by no means felt inevitable, but it’s certainly an exciting prospect.
Directed by Charlie Parham (who wrote the play with Emma Hall), Starter For Ten (the musical) has a similar selection of fresh talent on display, many of them recent drama school grads and future West End stars. Mel Giedroyc, meanwhile, is on hand as the show’s trusty comic relief, squeezing every last drop of physical humour out of her multiple characters. The Bristol Old Vic’s latest production – with new songs and staging compared to last year’s premiere – makes for a delightful night at the theatre. Starter For Ten is silly but not stupid, sentimental but not maudlin, with an Eighties-inspired original soundtrack containing some of the best musical theatre numbers I’ve heard in years.
