Fun at the Beach Romp-Bomp-a-Lomp!! - Southwark Playhouse

Anyone else in for the first preview?

I think I would have enjoyed this more if it hadn't been absolutely boiling in the theatre (I was sweating buckets) and so about an hour in I started to lose focus.

This is a fun parody musical about the beach romp-bomp-a-lomp, a competition to crown someone King or queen of the beach, but there's a twist - the story is pretty bonkers and while I didn't find it as funny as Police Cops, it all seemed to work. There are some funny catchy songs (the title song has been stuck in my head) and the cast all played up to their characters really well, although some of it was a bit annoying after a while (2 of the characters make constant bird noises...that's all I'll say).

For A first preview this seemed in pretty good shape, I certainly didn't pick up on any major blunders.

Overall, it's a silly night at the theatre. Its not meant to be deep so don't go in expecting it to be. Just a shame about the heat!

3*

I didn't notice it being all that hot in the theatre when I was there. I wasn't enamoured with the show, although I do think the concept could work. It doesn't take itself too seriously (and neither should the audience), and the overall tone is rather silly and enjoyable, if that's your thing. What doesn't work is the pacing. They spent half an hour of a 90 minute show pretty much just introducing the characters. This could easily be condensed into half the time with some extraneous songs cut. As it is, the deadly part of the competition that leads to the Squid Games comp in advertising doesn't kick in until far too late in the game.

I ditto the above point about annoying characters. I understand they're supposed to be annoying, but the bird noises were incredibly grating and I was very much looking forward to the characters dying off.

It's a jukebox musical but all the songs are parodies (to avoid paying for the right to use them?) and that's done with mixed success. Some are funny and recognisable, some you cannot work out what they're supposed to be even if you do know the original song. The big song the surviving character sings at the end is incredibly dull and isn't the showstopper its built up to be in the plot. Also the most boring character to have survive, even if you knew it was coming from the start.

All in all I respect what they're trying to do, but they haven't quite got it right yet. It'll never be a huge hit but it could do a respectable off-West End run and gain a small fanbase I'm sure, if they were willing to do some fairly in depth edits.

I'm going this afternoon. I have everything crossed that given the cool for the time of year temperatures it won't be too hot in the auditorium. (I've been very wary of the Southwark Playhouse in summer since I had to leave Titanic in the interval a decade ago because it was unbearably hot.)

Fortunately the temperature in the auditorium was fine. I'm not quite sure what to make of the show itself. I found it very strange in places. I'm glad I went for the sake of seeing Jack Whittle & Tom Babbage, who are two of my favourite ex-Mischief-shows actors, but if it hadn't been for them I'm not sure I would have found it worth seeing just for the show itself. At least I've finally found a use for the low-quality cruise ship entertainment aimed at the over 60s that I've sat through in the past: it meant I knew some of the songs that this show parodies.

Upon further thought, I agree with the WOS review that described the show as "an improv group's fever dream". The plot is exactly like something I can imagine Showstopper or Mischief coming up with on the spot.