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BrumHour saw Bring It On at the invite of The Alexandra.
Listen to Interval Theatre on Brum Radio, actor Brittany Jarman-Watson and co-choreographer Olivia Wicks talk about their part in bringing Bring It On – The Musical to The Alexandra.
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour
This production features mild language.
Review: Bring It On – The Musical at The Alexandra
A big, bold production ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Directed by Pollyann Tanner, music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics by Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda, book by Jeff Whitty
Boundary changes force Campbell (Laura Bryan) and Bridget (Eden Wedgbrow) to move high schools in their final year (Senior Year). This means Campbell’s passion for cheerleading comes to a grinding halt as the new school Jackson has no cheerleading squad. Instead, there is a dance crew led by Danielle (Brittany Jarman-Watson), who doesn’t have any time for Campbell.
Bring It On – The Musical is a high school comedy musical based on the film series which started in 2000 and has had many sequels over the years. This story isn’t based on one particular film in the series but does features aspects from several films.
As this is the annual Stage Experience at The Alexandra, this production has far more cast on stage than most regular productions. There are times when it can feel loud, and very busy but that adds to the high school atmosphere.
The script feels pretty Broadway American with some quite niche references that UK audiences might not understand, but there are some fun jokes and light moments. There’s also some mild peril, as demons appear on stage, I’m not sure if they were Campbell’s own personal threats coming to life or threats from around her.
Laura Bryan and Brittany Jarman-Watson are excellent as the leads and their character rivalry is great to see played out.
The costumes are fun and the set is a straightforward basketball court with backgrounds on large monitors. There’s great music from a live band in the pit at the front of the stage and the vocals are excellent, its pretty difficult to sing, chant and talk in American accents solidly for nearly two hours and most of the cast achieve this, most of the time. The choreography is strong and tight as you’d expect with many people on stage at once.
Whilst there isn’t any age restrictions I would say this production really isn’t suitable for children under the age of ten.
A big, bold production, Bring It On – The Musical is at The Alexandra until 19th August 2023.
