Pericles (Kind Of) at The Union Theatre, London

Pericles (Kind Of) is a joy from start to finish. This 60-minute musical from newly formed Nevermind Company is fast-paced, funny, and irreverent. It retells the ancient story of Pericles from the perspective of its female characters which brings new insight into what may or may not have happened in this mythical tale from ancient history. The music is fantastic, the vocals are strong, and the lyrics are both clever and funny. 

This young creative team shows real promise - Hollie Hurrell, James Hancock-Evans (who is also on keyboard throughout), and director Rafael Solimeno Harris wrote the book together. They created the piece as part of a Bristol Old Vic Theatre School project and were given permission to continue developing the material further. And they've done a brilliant job with it. The piece is almost entirely sung through but is still pacy and succinct. Every song moves the story forward well and every moment has earned its place and keeps the audience engaged. The piece is also cleverly composed, with recurring musical motifs that come together beautifully in the finale.

The cast delivers wonderfully energetic performances. Nathan Golo plays Pericles with swagger, aristocratic entitlement and strong comedic timing. Anna McAuley is a vocal highlight as Jane. She commands the stage from her first note. Zara Stokes-Neustadt brings great comic skill and strong vocals to Marina and despite her small stature, she is a powerhouse of energy and charisma. She leads the opening and closing scenes with skill and charm. D’Angelo Poskitt shows great vocal and comedic talent across multiple roles with some great unexpected moments. Cari Griffiths brings style and humour as the spoilt queen. Hollie Hurrell demonstrates sharp comedic skills as she switches between characters. Each ensemble member had a distinctive musical voice and yet they also came together well as an ensemble delivering some lovely harmonies and a unified sound in ensemble moments.

Miranda Cattermole designed the costumes. Her design is consistent and thoughtful using a style that combines Tudor elements (as a nod to Shakey-P) with Greek details. Pericles wears gold-embellished Tudor attire (minus the cod-piece). The rest of the cast wears cream linen trousers, ruffs, and corsets but each had some unique details. Gold sandals give a nod to the Greek origins of the play. The quality and styling of the costumes was stronger than usually seen at a fringe production.

Pericles (Kind Of) is a delightful production. This young team has created a sharp, modern musical and it's a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how far they can take this show and what they might come up with next.

Catch this show while you can. There's just one more performance at The cosy Union Theatre in Southwark and you can follow the show over on instagram.