Review: CLUELESS - A NEW MUSICAL, Trafalgar Theatre
Photo credit: Pamela Raith
Clueless - A New Musical arrives in the West End at the Trafalgar Theatre after a short try out in Bromley Theatre in 2024 and no doubt several refinements. Safe to say, it looks set for a long stay! It’s a feel good musical with a bright catchy score by KT Tunstall , witty lyrics by Glenn Slater and a strong, energetic young cast led by the outstanding Emma Flynn as the central protagonist, Cher. It may be derivative of many shows that have gone before but it has been beautifully staged and sits well on the Trafalgar stage with the added benefit of the intimacy of the lovely venue compared to the often-vast auditoriums of musical houses.
It will be a must-see show for fans of the 1995 film on which it is based, but also those millennial fan girls who loved Legally Blonde, High Steet Musical , Mean Girls and Heathers. Yet this high-quality production has a wider appeal which means it can break out into the wider musical theatre audiences. Of course, fans of Jane Austen, in the 250th anniversary of her birth, will also be intrigued as to how they have updated her 1815 novel Emma to a modern setting and will enjoy the reimagining of the story for the twenty first century stage. It may be set in the nineties with musical nods to music of that era but it feels just as relevant today and in tune with the teenage angst and weakened social skills impacted by the dominance in their lives of social media on their phones.
Emma becomes Cher Horowitz, a self-confident wealthy seventeen-year-old fashion obsessed schoolgirl living with her lawyer father, Mel, in Beverly Hills. Miss Bingley becomes her school mate Dionne (Chyna-Rose-Frederick), both named after the iconic pop stars. Mr Knightly becomes the young intern lawyer, Josh. Harriet becomes the quirky Tai (Romona Lewis-Malley) who arrives as the “New Girl” at school. Thus, the original’s matchmaking takes place in high school as she offers fashion makeover and arranged meetings to teachers and pupils she considers can be matched up! Despite her confident matchmaking, she fails to read the body language of her own male admirers in Elton, Christan and Josh.
From the first moment that Emma Flynn bursts into song as Cher in the opening number, ‘Perfect’, in the magnificently staged bedroom, she sells her headstrong meddling personality and engages the audiences to sweep them along in the teen romance story. She has a lovely comic touch, especially during the wonderful seduction scene of Christian (Isaac J Lewis has the moves to attract anyone) as she totters in high heels around the bed. But she also shows her vulnerability in her encounter with the ultra-macho but very funny Elton (Max Mirza). Equally Josh (Keelan McAuley) leads a brilliant comic dance routine in ‘Reasonable Doubt’.
Lizzie Gee’s choreography is fun, witty and fresh and executed with precision and energy by the young cast to create an irresistible urge to smile and tap along to the songs. There are breakout songs that can become earworms too including ‘Clueless’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘I’m Keeping an Eye on You’, as well as lyrics that will get repeated as people reflect on what they have seen such as “there is no RSVP on the statue of liberty” and “everything with a bag of chips”. Rachel Kavanaugh’s direction keeps it flowing slickly with great transitions, good characterisations and plenty of comedy. The scenes driving around Beverly Hills are cleverly theatrically staged, seamlessly moving from one setting onto the road and a simple but highly effective large lorry tailgating Cher as she learns to drive. It is remarkable how Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams’ design sits so well on the Trafalgar stage.
This is a production that you can’t help but enjoy and we are sure it will enjoy a UK regional tour whenever its West End-run finishes, as well as moving on to other overseas territories to reach Clueless and musical theatre fans who just want a good night out around the world. But with the global news feeds full of doom-laden stories, this is the show we need for some light relief this summer.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne
