Review: ARE YOU AS NERVOUS AS I AM?, Greenwich Theatre

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

Are You As Nervous As I Am? is a new British musical that follows the journey of two sisters, Peggy and Janet, who are forced apart due to their mother’s abusive behaviour. The show takes place over a period of time from 1945 to 1975, capturing the full time frame of the sisters' journeys, both separately and together. 

We are first introduced to Peggy in a small bar in Llanelli as her younger self. Megan Donovan, who also plays Anwen, is an amazing actress with a beautiful voice and brilliant comedic energy. We have to commend her for being so young and having to approach such mature themes during her time on stage. Peggy then transitions from child to adult through a heart-warming duet that makes the change very clear. 

Katie Elin-Salt’s performance as Peggy Starr is lovable and bubbly the moment she is introduced on stage. Both her and the writers have done an excellent job of capturing all of the small Welsh characteristics, making for a convincing character. A particular moment is when Peggy arrives in London, the flustered energy she portrays is very accurate to personal experiences of moving from a small town to the big city. Her development throughout is moving and she is definitely the character that holds the show together.

With the show being set over a large time frame, the story sometimes feels a little disjointed. An example of this being the relationship between Bob Parr and Peggy. There is no clear progression between the two; one moment they meet and work together and the next moment they are married and had moved in with one another. The relationship could benefit with clearer development to join both stages. 

In addition to this, Janet and Christine have incredible chemistry, we wish we had seen more of this relationship as Emma Thornett (Janet) and Sarah Ingram (Christine) complement each other in every way beautifully. The queer representation in this show is also great but we would’ve loved to have seen both the couple mentioned and Peter, played by Simon Furness, developed further. 

The music, written by Leighton James House, is gorgeous and always era appropriate. The majority of the songs are solos or duets, with hardly any large ensemble numbers, which it might have been nice to see as whenever the whole cast sing together, it sounds gorgeous. On occasion, the accompaniment slightly overpowers who is singing in the moment, but this is something that will most likely be adjusted throughout the run. 

The story of the show is sweet, journeying with Peggy through her life. Despite this, there are some plot points that feel unfinished or unclear to an audience. Larry and Peggy’s relationship has brilliant chemistry but the break-up feels confusing from an audience perspective. We’re never quite told exactly what happened between the two, it’s only insinuated from small comments here and there. The same happens between the sisters’ relationship with their mother, Catrin. We do see Catrin throughout the show, not as a character, but she appears in small moments as a reminder to Peggy. It would’ve been great to see both sisters get closure from their childhood and their unhealthy relationship with their mother to help enhance their characters further. 

Are You As Nervous As I Am? is a heart-warming and overall great show. Although aspects feel underwhelming at times, we would still recommend going to see it to support a new British musical. You will come out with a smile on your face. 

*** Three stars 

Reviewed by: Maya Bateman

Are You As Nervous As I Am? plays at Greenwich Theatre until 23 October, with tickets available here.