Flo & Joan: One Man Musical, Underbelly Boulevard Review
Flo & Joan, One Man Musical production image. Credit Avalon
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Flo and Joan are an award-winning musical comedy duo, the creation of sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey. Their live shows have won fans across the UK, Australia and North America, with TV appearances reaching even wider audiences.
Last year, their original musical was a huge hit at the Edinburgh Fringe and then enjoyed a successful run at London’s Soho Theatre. Now, One Man Musical is back in town for six weeks only, ready to treat audiences at Underbelly Boulevard to the story of one of musical theatre’s iconic gentlemen.
And that gentleman is Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Don’t worry, that’s not so much a spoiler as a teaser. If you think you know all there is to know about the genius who brought us Joseph’s dreamcoat and the Phantom’s chandelier, don’t let that put you off. Performed by actor George Fouracres, this 75 minute show is a hilarious romp through the life and career of arguably our greatest living composer. And he’s quite the character!
The premise of the show is that, having lost his Midas touch for creating successful musicals, Lord Lloyd Webber has written a new show that he’s sure will be a smash hit, re-establishing him as the king of “music-cools”. The subject of the show? Himself! Early on, there are some clever references to ALW’s (allegedly) litigious nature – for some reason no actor wanted to take on the role for fear of legal repercussions, so ALW is playing himself! It’s all very meta and sets the scene perfectly for the performance we’re about to see.
Fouracres portrays Lloyd Webber as eccentric, privileged and rather delusional. It’s a caricature but still instantly recognisable. He injects his performance with a madcap energy that doesn’t drop for a moment. Bounding about the stage wearing a velvet jacket, his floppy hair seemingly taking on a life of its own, he shows no self-awareness but so much self-confidence – presumably a result of the very “normal” childhood he tells us about, with his well-connected parents, public school education and a pet monkey. Fouracres’ performance is quite brilliant – whether he’s trying out a bit of painful audience interaction or performing his take on Cats, a high-energy fever dream that’s a nod towards the chaos of the 1980s and the drugs that he absolutely didn’t touch (litigious, remember?!). He’s also an excellent singer, the vocals growing in polish alongside Lloyd Webber’s success.
The script is littered with in-jokes for theatre lovers. You don’t need extensive knowledge of Lloyd Webber’s back catalogue to enjoy it, but it certainly helps. From the flops like By Jeeves and Stephen Ward, to the mega success of Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, and even the VERY bad Bad Cinderella, nothing escapes comic scrutiny. There are also plenty of references to famous faces who have featured in his career – including Cameron Mackintosh, Tim Rice, Sarah Brightman, Elaine Paige, and a very topical joke about Nicole Scherzinger. Even Gemma Collins and Christopher Biggins get a mention!
The songs are packed with witty lyrics and although they’re not instantly memorable, this is probably a good thing as Nicola and Rosie have taken inspiration from some of Lloyd Webber’s musical motifs to underscore the melodies (litigious!). It’s actually a really nice homage to his style and, all joking aside, brings our attention to the range of phenomenal musicals that Lloyd Webber has written.
Nicola and Rosie are on stage in character as Flo & Joan throughout the show, but stay very much in the background, acting as the “orchestra” and providing backing vocals for some of the songs. A part of me would have liked to see more from this talented duo, but it’s absolutely the right choice for the show that its focus remains on the “one man” of its title.
At times, the fast pace and exuberant delivery of the show is in danger of feeling a little bit too much, so a song towards the end, in which Lloyd Webber laments that he has lost his relevance is a welcome and poignant interlude – despite this it does not let go of the comedy at the show’s heart with him finding it increasingly difficult to say the name of the man who many see as the Crown Prince of Music-cools, Lin Manuel Miranda!
The show finishes on a high, with more cultural references than you could shake a stick at. But does Andrew Lloyd Webber achieve his objective of once again taking his place in the spotlight as the undisputed musical theatre king? Well that would be a spoiler, but I highly recommend that you book a ticket and find out. As for me, after this bonkers hour and a bit of insight (based on both real and maybe not so real facts) into the life and times of great man, I’m definitely a “fandrew”!
One Man Musical runs at Underbelly Boulevard until Saturday 2nd March 2025. Find out more and book here.
★★★★
