Brick Lane Music Hall, London – until 6th October 2026
Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton
4****
If there is one thing you can always rely on when visiting Brick Lane Music Hall, it is that you’re in for an evening of ridiculous humour, questionable double entendres and an abundance of theatrical chaos. The Pleasures of Fanny delivers all three in abundance, combining a 1940s-pantomine-esque first act with a rather unconventional murder mystery in the second.
The story begins with Sweet Fanny Hood (Shannon Rewcroft) and her pet pigeon, Cocky, both searching for somewhere to stay. Fanny meets Willy Boyle (Ross Tomlinson), an Irish man who has moved to London from Gallway. Fanny is then introduced to Nun the Wiser (Andrew Robley), who offers her accommodation at the House of the Rising Spirits, where she meets Mary Garden (Lucy Reed). What initially appears to be a rather questionable establishment quickly becomes the setting for a much more sinister evening, as a murder takes place shortly before the interval.
Following the interval, the audience are told that the police have been called and nobody is allowed to leave. With the performers having to keep their audience entertained while they wait, the show temporarily turns into a celebration of music that is completely unrelated to the original story, but equally as humorous. And, naturally, things don’t stay peaceful for long. Another murder takes place, leaving the audience to decide who they believe the culprit to be. Once the votes are counted, the murderer is revealed, along with their motives, bringing the evening’s rather bizarre mystery to a close.
The songs are undoubtedly one of the show’s biggest strengths. Shannon Rewcroft, Ross Tomlinson, Lucy Reed and Andrew Robley all have fantastic singing voices, and each brings plenty of energy to the production. There is also a particularly entertaining rivalry between Mary and Fanny, with their increasingly competitive relationship providing some of the show’s funniest moments, including a moment where The Director (Jack Pallister) attempts to convince Shannon Rewcroft to not quit the performance halfway through by promising her both leading roles of the upcoming panto. I particularly enjoyed the fallout amongst the entire cast as they all turn on one another, even in the first act before the murder has happened, as cast members insert unrehearsed improvised monologues, set pieces and props are forgotten and hastily brought on by the increasingly frantic Stage Manager (Annabelle Fage), and when The Musical Director (Scott Hayes) points a gun at the cast on stage, completely unrelated to the murder mystery plot.
As you’d expect from Brick Lane Music Hall, the humour is packed with puns, double entendres and wonderfully absurd moments. The show never takes itself particularly seriously, neither do the hilarious Andrew Robley and Vincent Hayes, and that is arguably where much of its charm lies. There is something genuinely entertaining about watching the entire production descend into increasingly ridiculous circumstances while the cast simply embrace the chaos.
The Pleasures of Fanny may not be the most gripping murder mystery you will ever see, but it isn’t really trying to be. Instead, it is a wonderfully silly evening of music, comedy, audience participation and theatrical mayhem — and sometimes that is exactly what you want from a trip to Brick Lane Music Hall.