Theatre Royal Windsor – until Saturday 2nd August 2025
Reviewed by Liberty Noke
3***
Shout! Is a musical set in London in the 1960s and features over 20 songs from this era. From the moment you enter the theatre, you know when this musical is set. The stage is set with a 3 piece band and brightly coloured lights with a platform on each side with brightly coloured steps up to them. The steps allow the characters to enter the stage at different levels making the small, simple stage feels more dynamic.
There are 5 characters Yellow Girl (Gabrielle Cummins), Green Girl (Lauren Allan), Orange Girl (Lauren Bimson), Blue Girl (Madeline Doody) and Red Girl (Sophie Ingoldsby). They form a sort of girl group as they sing but each character also has their moments to shine.
There isn’t a plot in the traditional sense, the characters read Shout! Magazine and write in to the agony aunt about their problems. The agony aunt then gives them advice. This advice is old fashioned and outdated- the musical is set in the 60’s- but as the show goes on we see the characters resist the stereotypes and think more freely.
The musical numbers are exceptional. All 5 actresses had great voices and danced with energy all of the way through. Shout, in particular, was incredible with Gabrielle Cummins as Yellow Girl on lead vocals.
Unfortunately the microphones regularly didn’t start working until the actresses had already been speaking for a few seconds and as the actresses moved around the stage the lights didn’t always follow them meaning they were unlit for key moments. This did make the production feel a little bit amateur. I also felt that the wigs were ill-fitting and cheap; again reducing the production value.
The costumes were incredible, each character had go go boots that matched their colour and changed costumes multiple times. This is exactly what you would hope for in a musical set in such an iconic era for fashion. Some of the audience even dressed ‘mod’ for the show which made this even more special.
At the end of the performance the audience had the opportunity to stand up and sing along to “Shout!” and I have never seen so many people on their feet on a Wednesday night in Windsor Theatre Royal. This is a testament to the talent of the performers and the timelessness of the music.
Shout! The Mod Musical is a fun, upbeat night at the theatre that will transport you back to the 1960’s. It will leave you singing all the way home and wondering if you should buy yourself a pair of go go boots. With the technical issues worked out this could be amazing.