Scouts! The Musical at Upstairs at the Gatehouse Review
Written by Penny for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Scouts! The Musical was created by Gigglemug Comedy in partnership with the Scouts (yes, the actual Scouts!), and debuted in 2023 at The Other Palace. It was a big hit with critics, audiences and also with former Chief Scout Bear Grylls, who described the show as “incredible”!
Now, Scouts! is enjoying one last UK tour, arriving in London ahead of final dates in Bath (26th – 29th June).
The premise is simple - Scouts from around the world have gathered to compete in the annual Scout Games. But when someone threatens to sabotage the competition, it is up to Joe and Eliza to put aside their rivalries and use their newfound skills to save the day! While Joe and Eliza are presented as normal kids, a lot of the characters around them are larger than life, resulting in a show that has a pantomime feel in places.
The story, written by Sam Cochrane (who also directs), is one that will resonate with anybody who is or ever has been a part of the scouting movement. There’s a running joke that you can earn a badge for absolutely anything (well, almost anything as we discover as the action unfolds!) and plenty of references to woggles and tricky knots. The early songs and interactions focus on the skills that scouts develop and builds a sense of competition between the characters as they strive to win a golden badge and all the acclaim that goes with it. But as the show progresses, our young protagonists learn that true friendship is more important than any skill – the message is not hammered home in a preachy way, it’s well done through a growing realisation from Joe and Eliza who come to learn that their best chance of success is by working together.
Although the script feels as if it has largely been written for a young audience, there are observations in it that will raise a smile from the adults in the audience – a reference to the importance of supporting new musicals and being kind in reviews certainly raised a smile from this audience member!
There’s audience participation right from the start, as three audience members are brought on stage to compete alongside the cast. It’s a fun way to get groups engaged but, of course, the success of this element depends on the willingness of the chosen stooges to throw themselves into the action. It all goes down very well with their friends but perhaps falls a little flat with the rest of the audience.
While you are unlikely to leave the theatre humming any of the songs, they are still catchy enough in the moment, with witty lyrics from David Fallon. Firmly based in musical theatre, there’s a good variety of styles – including rap – taking us from a character’s thoughtful musings to high energy group numbers. A fast paced listing of the myriad scouting badges stands out, along with ‘The Trance Dance’, that gets the audience’s feet tapping.
The cast of actor musicians is seriously impressive, effortlessly switching between instruments – sometimes halfway through a song – with a recorder/kazoo duet proving a potential inspiration for a new activity badge! At times the sound balance needs tweaking as the vocals are occasionally drowned by the musicians and the fast tempo of some of the songs means that the clever lyrics are at risk of being lost.
The ensemble cast works very well together, there are no weak links but definitely some stand out performances. Eleanor Fransch as Eliza has fabulous kids TV presenter energy and a fantastic singing voice with a great range. Katie Pritchard plays Rosie, she has phenomenal stage presence and great energy and takes us on a (spoiler alert!) hugely entertaining journey to the “dark side” – she’s also an incredible musician, I lost count of the instruments she played during the show. Rob Gathercole gives us two very contrasting characters in young scout Luke, searching for his skill and some confidence, and as Linus Lionheart – a charismatic, nature loving hero in the Bear Grylls/Steve Irwin mould.
Scouts! The Musical is a fun night out for all the family, with its humour pitched firmly at younger people. The story goes off on a slightly bizarre tangent (think zombie grannies and wildlife documentaries) but its message is a clear and wholesome one – always value and look after your friends. Despite poking fun, it’s full of love and respect for the scouting community, where nobody is an outsider. And you can’t say better than that.
Scouts! The Musical runs at Upstairs at The Gatehouse until Sunday 22nd June and at The Egg Theatre, Bath from 26th – 29th June. Find out more and book tickets here.
Gigglemug will also be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer with A Jaffa Cake Musical. Find out more here.
★★★★
