This evening, I had the immense privilege of watching the world premiere of ‘The Parent Agency’. A BRAND-NEW musical at The Storyhouse based on the best-selling book by David Baddiel with music by Dan-Gillespie Sells and direction by Tim Jackson.
The hilariously entertaining production follows the story of eleven-year-old Barry Bennett who dreams of having “better parents”, those who give him everything he has ever wanted! Barry’s wishes come true, and he is transported to the United Kid-dom, where he is taken to the Parent Agency to find the mum and dad of his wildest dreams – however he quickly finds out that all of this is easier said than done and we follow his trials and tribulations along the way.
The set and staging by Jon Bausor was spectacular, yet minimalistic in certain aspects. The stage curved up at the back with the band sitting behind the curvature – this was wonderful to watch, and it is always lovely to see the band on stage. As we met each set of potential parents, we were transported into their lives, portrayed excellently by clever scenery and props such as: an abundance of trampolines within a workout class, an outdoor shooting range and a red-carpet, Hollywood-style premiere-turn-theatre. The lighting was also used cleverly to help us sympathise with the characters, for example when we are introduced to the character of ‘Boy’ the stage was plunged into darkness to show the despair and loneliness he was feeling, and on the contrary neon-strobe lighting which lended itself fantastically well to the ‘Fwham’ parent scenes, helping further accentuate their larger-than-life personalities. In summary, the visuals on this show were an absolute treat to watch, particularly for the younger audience members.
The score for the show is brand-spanking new and created by Dan Gillespie-Sells (Everybody’s Talking about Jamie) with lyrics also by David Baddiel. The score took us on the highest of highs yet also dipped into some deeper and more thought-provoking moments. An absolute standout was the opening number ‘Barry’ which takes us through the number 1 reason Barry hates his parents – for calling him Barry! A hilarious opening number, setting the high-energy tone for the whole production and an absolute rib-tickler of a number.
Our protagonist Barry was played by the delightful Max Bispham, who had possibly the strongest performance by a youngster I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Bispham remained energetic and hilariously entertaining throughout the story with crystal clear, strong vocals (it is certain that he has a bright future in theatre!). Barry’s mum and dad (played by Rebecca McKinnis and Rakesh Boury) were a triumph, playing Barry’s parents alongside every single set of parents we meet at the agency (multi-tasking galore!). The range of vocals and characteristics the couple displayed were phenomenal, including ‘Fwham’ a fitness-fanatic power couple and ’The Cools’ the no-rules polar-opposite pair who spend all their free time in the herb garden. Other prominent characters include Barry’s sisters-turn-Parent Agency employees (played by Natasha Cayabyab and Kazmin Borrer) and Peevish (played by Elliot Broadfoot) who appears as a variety of characters within the stories of each set of parents. Boy (the only other youth character in the show) is played by Louis Wilkins whose vocals bore a lovely similarity to Bisphams – pure, poignant and incredibly emotive during his solo moments. Wilkins also alternates into the role of ‘Barry’ with 2 other young performers.
If you are looking for a rib-tickling musical extravaganza for all the family, look no further than ‘The Parent Agency’. You can catch the world premiere of this fantastic musical until Sunday 2nd March at The Storyhouse, Chester. Tickets are flying out, and I urge you to book your tickets before it’s too late. https://www.storyhouse.com/whats-on/
Reviewer: Grace Annabel
Reviewed: 19th February 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 5 out of 5.
