Southampton Mayflower – until 22 January 2022
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
Mischief brings us the hysterically funny ‘Groan Ups’, where we follow the lives of 5 children through their time at school and into adulthood.
The set was extremely clever and enhanced the performances of the cast with the use of forced perspective. Fly Davies, set director, deserves a special mention for her brilliance and ability. The costumes, Roberto Surace’s department, were also great and when the children grew up into adulthood, the costumes reflected the personalities we had all become accustomed to during the course of Henry Shields brilliant writing.
The 5 main characters, Yolanda Ovide as Moon, Dharmesh Patel as Spencer, Lauren Samuels as Katie, Matt Cavendish as Simon and Daniel Abbott as Archie were superb and together with such great rapport and comedic timing, it made the show really enjoyable and kept the pace so high that we never had a dull moment. For me, the stand out performance was Dharmesh Patel as Spencer. He was so funny and commanded the stage with ease, as well as throwing in some slapstick moments-such as ‘flopping the hamster!’ (You’ll find out when you see it!). Supported by Jamie Birkett and Killian Macardle in various roles, this cast is a sterling triumph.
The main 5 grow up through life and all segment into their own careers, but by the end of the show (the school reunion) they all get back together to divulge secrets once hidden and rekindle old romances.
This truly is a brilliant piece and the perfect pick me up for all ages. It hits home that in all of us, there is a child we never release and you really can grow up but never truly change!