Starter for Ten: A New Musical
Mo Cross reviews at Birmingham Rep
Based on David Nicholls’ book and the 2006 film of the same name, Starter for Ten: A New Musical takes place mainly at Bristol University, following the dream of Brian, played by Adam Bregman, to become a contestant on University Challenge. It’s fitting that this adaptation was first put on at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 2024, and this new version returned to the stage there before arriving in Birmingham for a limited time. It’s playing at the Rep until the 1st of November, and is already making waves with its original songs, new choreography and plenty of 80’s synth.
Mel Giedroyc has returned for this revamped production, playing both Brian’s mum Irene and Quiz Royalty Julia Bland with ease. The writing really gave her, and all the characters, enough space to explore their desire for connection with the past, their ambitions, and each other.
Boiled down to its bare bones, the play is a very human love story. Love for home, family, and basic human decency, but also cheesy, romantic love. Rebecca complains in the tutorial she takes with Brian that she didn’t come to university to read soppy, romantic poems from the past, but ends up falling face first into the kind of love she cynically dismisses. Sometimes it seems the only way to get away with that level of romance in theatre these days is to set it to music. Cheese, extravagance and unadulterated enthusiasm come with the territory in musicals, and it lets the audience root for the romance to grow instead of scoffing at the naivety of young love.
The standout performance for me came from Asha Parker-Wallace who played Rebecca, her voice was amazing and she really embodied the indignant rebel who wanted to change the world all on her own. Bregman’s portrayal of Brian was impressive as well, it’s hard to portray a self-conscious character with such confidence, but he had to win us over with his first song Growing Pains, which was sung mainly on his own after a fast paced full company number to start the show. If that song had fallen flat, it would have been an uphill battle to get me back on side, but the first act went from strength to strength, with the third song Fresh Meat getting my vote for best song of the night.
The second act leans more into the 80’s ballad, which can feel a bit less frenetic at times, but the talent of the cast meant it was an enjoyable performance all the way through. To be honest, the music was so much more than I had been expecting! The vocal harmonies were impressive, often overlapping and weaving together to build layers of sound that showcased the skill of not only the singers, but the songwriters too. All the music in Starter for Ten has been written specifically for the show, but more than once I heard audience members asking each other if they recognised the songs. It just shows the talent of the song writers to have captured the spirit of the 80’s so well that listeners are left guessing whether or not they’ve heard it before.
Whether you’re a fan of the book, the film, or just fancy an evening of synth laden musical numbers, I’d highly recommend you check out Starter for Ten: A New Musical, at the Rep in Birmingham this October.