Nancy Nelson (Faith Pasch) is the classic unattractive high-school loser (ie, girl with glasses), with unpopular friends Debbie (Lee Beka Harper) and Doobie (Matt Bader, filled in for by a producer on the night we attended) and persecuted by the popular kids: Heather (Charis Stockton) and Big Rod (Louis Hearsay) and their leader, Tiffani (Caitlin Anderson). Until one day when they take their humiliation too far and the Devil (Sean Arkless) offers Nancy a deal, a makeover and an opportunity for revenge…
It is, in short, the classic American high-school setup combined with horror elements, in this case the Faustian pact, and an 80s setting. All three aspects are archetypes in their own right and, to different degrees, also combined; with high-school horror stories like Carrie and Faustian-inspired murder sprees like Jennifer’s Body, and 80s nostalgia having now dominated pop-culture for longer than the decade that inspired it (with perhaps the best example, also mixing the 80s with horror and high-school – but no Christian demons – being the Netflix series Stranger Things).
But then many musicals are based on well-known stories or tropes, as the point is, of course, the musical performances, which are high-energy, joyous and often hilarious. Though the music is more functional than memorable, the choreography (by Director Rachel Klein) and the cast are firing on all cylinders, with great use made of the few props and set-pieces, some fun on-stage deaths, and everyone in the cast getting their turn in the spotlight (literally and figuratively) to show off their archetypes to their best advantage, both in song and laughs, and a cute love story to cap it all off.
A fun musical of Marlowe’s Mean Girls / Carrie’s Things (I’d say Carrie The Musical, but that is actually a thing), the show is a bad example of “be careful what you wish for”, with no unforeseen or unpleasant turns. If you like musicals, comedy, horror and high school stories, you’ll have a good time with this show, with no need to check for small print.
I Was A Teenage She Devil is running at the Space @ Niddry Street until the 22nd August. Tickets can be found at: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/i-was-a-teenage-she-devil
Reviewer: Oliver Giggins
Reviewed: 7th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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