REVIEW | Scouts The Musical, The Other Palace

★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Eleanor

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

Scouts! The Musical is a new show by comedy theatre group Gigglemug. The Gigglemug group was first established in 2018 and are a resident theatre company at The Turbine Theatre. Team Gigglemug pride themselves in being “serious about being silly” and Scouts! certainly lives up to this. Created in partnership with the Scout Association, this show was first performed in 2020 and is now premiering at The Other Palace in London.

The book and lyrics are by Sam Cochrane, who is also Directing and Producing the show. Music and Lyrics are by David Fallon with Musical Direction by Rob Gathercole.

This was my first visit to the studio at The Other Palace. Although the space between seats was quite limited and the small stage (taken up predominantly by musical instruments in this case) only allowed for a minimal set, I found that the intimacy of the space really added to the atmosphere. As soon as you enter the studio you are instantly greeted by the crackle of a campfire and the well known motto of the Scouts on a large red banner: “Be prepared.” As is mentioned online, audience participation is involved and introduced straight away with cow bells and tambourines passed out into the audience. This makes you feel part of the show before it has even started. From the segments of the soundtrack I had already heard and the interesting plot summary, I was definitely ‘prepared’ to like this musical and I was not disappointed.

The show starts in a fun, exciting and attention grabbing way. The principal cast of Scouts! all sing the opening number while interchangeably playing different instruments. They would quickly swap between standing at the front of the stage to take the lead in the song and then rush back to play the piano, the drums or the guitar. This fast-paced movement on such a small stage continues throughout the show, making for very energetic viewing. The cast then introduce the central theme of Scouts!, which takes place at the Annual Scout Games. Each individual within the pack competes against each other to win a prized gold badge, undertaking a number of challenges to test their wisdom and skill. However it soon becomes apparent that it is not all as it seems, as one scout is willing to go to extreme lengths to win the prize.

The first act has really good pacing and audience participation is again used to great effect here, with members of the audience taking part in challenges on stage with varying amounts of success. (One participant’s fun fact about himself was that he had cooked over a campfire with Bear Grylls which took everyone, including the cast, by surprise!) As challenges were completed, the participants receive their badges and the winners progress to the next round. The rudimentary props and how they were used really fitted with the ethos of the show; as if it truely was a production put on by a Scout troop. The fact that whenever the gold badge was brought out one of the group would rush out with a little bucket of glitter to throw in the air always got a good reception. I also noted how lighting (designed by Damian Robertson) was used simply but effectively to highlight the Scout banners during particularly rousing moments or to turn the stage green whenever the villain of the piece emerged.

Scouts! is undoubtedly a very funny musical, which does not take itself too seriously. It is clear to see the cast are having a great time performing together as a troop, and you do feel part of that. I particularly enjoyed a small martial arts segment, acted brilliantly by Katie Prichard as Rosie and Emily Kitchingham as Charlotte, and the attempted piano performance by Rob Gathercole as Luke. The child-like quality in their performances was very entertaining and although the story was slightly daft in places, if you embrace it you will have a great evening.

At the start of the second half, reminiscent of The Cursed Child, the limited scenery is updated to reflect this stage of the story. Charlotte (Emily Kitchingham) is revealed to be an older ex-scout who is determined to ruin the Scouts’ reputation using the power of hypnosis – a skill she gained in the Scouts after earning her hypnosis badge. Unlike some shows, I thought the first and second acts of Scouts! Were equally strong in terms of the pacing of the narrative and the music. The rap segment, where some of the kids listed bad things they could now do (including leaving a bad review for a new musical!), was just brilliant and believably things kids would think were bad. This included not helping an old lady cross a road and hiding a cactus in somebody’s hat. The introduction of Linus Lionheart, played by Rob Gathercole, in this act is also a brilliant inclusion and his song about ‘Mother Nature’ was another example where unsophisticated props were used to humorous effect. As the plot concludes, the winner of the Annual Scout Games is determined by a knot tying competition. Here the actors showed some genuinely impressive skills. However, I did think that if greater stakes were given to the earlier competitions the audience investment in the Annual Scout Games could have built more slowly and led to a more satisfying finale. Of course, those who have played fairly and stuck by the Scout mottos triumph in the end, but do be aware that this involves being ‘purified’ with a water pistol if you are sitting on the studio floor.

As much as I enjoyed this show, I must admit the plot was very predictable. The first half sets up the events which are to take place and the rise of the ‘villian’, and the second is about the ‘heroes’ coming together and ultimately being triumphant. The characters themselves are also relatively simplistic, following tropes we have seen before. It does feel in some cases that the plot has just been formulated to get you from one song into another, which leads me onto the music itself.

The songs which are dotted pretty evenly throughout the show are relatively short and snappy. They neatly convey a key message, either in terms of a single character or an idea, and I thought they were great fun. The first couple of songs in the show are ones I would happily listen to on repeat if there were ever a cast album. Although the ‘Trials Dance’ lost me slightly (with the audience confused whether they should join in or not), the classic villain song of ‘Show You The Ropes’ was pitch perfect.

Alongside the strength of the soundtrack here, I thought all of the performances were superb. The characterisations of the cast as a whole were great; you could quite easily suspend your disbelief to think they were a group of pre-teens and their nervous pack leader. The way Kemi Clarke played Scout Leader Dylan was very comical, as he desperately tried to hang on to his authority as things start to go wrong. A particular mention also needs to be made of Katie Prichard, whose comic timing was on point and whose joint Kazoo and recorder playing was arguably the best I will ever see. The group were all very energetic on stage and amazingly talented. Acting, singing, playing instruments (often at the same time) and while making it look effortless. My only criticism would be that the characters’ interpersonal relationships needed more development to make me more invested in them as a whole. This hit me hardest during the more emotional songs, such as that sung by Ayesha (Sydney Spencer) following a fight with Joe (Joel Nash). As their relationship had not been fully fleshed out I had limited stakes in their argument, and therefore the song doesn’t quite hit as hard as it could.

Scouts! The Musical has a wonderfully folksy feel, with the limited costume and rudimentary props fitting well with the show as a whole. The setting of The Other Palace studio also adds to this and really makes you feel part of it. Although the plot is very predictable and doesn't have a very wide scope, Team Gigglemug very much lean into this and the show is still very enjoyable. There were still occasions where I wanted the characters to be more fleshed out, as just one or two songs per character did not really tell you a lot about them. But even with weaknesses in the plot in some areas, the true strength of this show lies in the actors and the soundtrack. As the Scouts say, ‘Be Prepared’ - and I would recommend that anyone who sees this show should ‘Be Prepared’ to enjoy it.