Muriel’s Wedding The Musical at Curve, Leicester Review
Written by Emmie and Hollie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Bursting onto the Curve stage this spring in a riot of sequins, pop anthems, and unfiltered Aussie humour, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical opens after six years in development for a UK audience. To present a new musical in the current climate takes an almighty risk, so did this production deliver a bold and heart-warming reinvention of the beloved 1994 film, or will it be as terrible as Muriel?
Directed by Simon Phillips, this production makes a few changes to the original, bringing elements of the story away from the 90s, whilst retaining the heart of the story. Muriel’s Wedding The Musical tells a bittersweet comedic story about Muriel, an outsider who dreams of a glamorous wedding and a better life beyond the small town of Porpoise Spit. She manages to escape to the bright lights of Sydney, where she reinvents herself but discovers what is really important deep down. The production is set to a book by P.J. Hogan and to an electrifying score featuring ABBA hits and original songs by Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall. There are some certified bops in there, particularly ‘Amazing’ and ‘Sydney’.
Curve’s main stage has been beautifully transformed for the vibrant aesthetic and tone of this musical. Matt Kinley’s set features a giant gold vinyl disc as the floor, around which the action spins with dynamic energy. The vast and versatile space of this Leicester venue is framed by huge gold rings, which are cleverly incorporated throughout the design, while projections by Andrzek Goulding inject modern-day social media references. This adds context to Muriel’s world and allows the production to dissolve seamlessly into the surreal or fantastical. Gabriela Tylesova’s costume design is also an important design aspect of this show that is important to praise; the detail in it was sensational and really echoed the atmosphere of the entire production perfectly.
Muriel’s The Wedding The Musical has the audience rooting for Muriel from the beginning, largely down to Megan Ellis. Ellis is emotionally rich and unapologetically bold in how she approaches this character (and boy can she sing?!). In fact, so much so, it’s obvious to any audience member how passionate she is in her delivery of Muriel. Alongside her Rhonda, played by Annabel Marlow, whose dose of fiercely loyal and unfiltered character makes their bond one of the most powerful and enduring elements of the musical. Their rendition of ‘Amazing’ is particularly moving.
There are some other notable performances in this cast from Darren Day and Laura Medforth’s hostile relationship, which hits emotionally, to Jacob Warner, Joseph Peacock and Lena Pattie Jones giving extremely pleasing performances as the Heslop children. Helen Hill, Lillie-Pearl Wildman, Jasmine Beel and Daisy Twells use exaggerated and comedic elements in their characters, which have a humorous impact. Their characters add a satirical edge to the show, highlighting the superficiality of status and popularity. Ethan Pascal Peters gave a wholesome performance as Brice Nobes. However, when it comes to this collective as a whole, this is probably one of the best ensembles you’ll see on the regional front right now.
Is Muriel’s The Wedding The Musical going to give audiences a good time at the theatre? Certainly, much more so if you grab yourself a wedding guest and make your stage debut in Act 2. There are certainly some elements that could be a lot sharper, particularly in terms of pacing, and with a running time of 2 hours 45 minutes, there are moments in the musical which felt they were more rushed than others. However, what the musical does have is energy oozing from the cast and a powerful message that will resonate with audiences.
Muriel’s The Wedding The Musical continues at Leicester’s Curve this month until Saturday 10th May 2025.
If you are looking to be entertained at Curve in the near future, then why not check out Kim’s Convenience, which will be on stage from Tuesday 20th May 2025 or the new musical Indigo, which will be premiering at Curve between Thursday 26th June 2025 and Saturday 19th July 2025.
★★★★
