Rocket Whip Productions are certainly no strangers to the Greater Manchester Fringe scene, and I have seen several of their musicals before, starting at Tribeca, moving to Salford Arts Theatre and now, their latest incarnation, an original musical parody, 'Nuns Of Fury' in the upstairs performance space of Seven Oaks pub in the Chinese Village of Manchester. Based in the North West, Rocket Whip are a queer, female-led company and specialise in original material. This musical's composer, Liv Burton (book, lyrics and music) has had other original works of hers showcased by this company over the years, and here she turns her hand to directing the show too.
The premise of the musical is that three kung-fu / karate kicking 'Robin Hood' style nuns, steal from the rich and give to the needy (all in the sight and name of God!), aided and abetted by both the Mother Superior and the local priest, come up against their evil nemesis, which here comes in the form of bungling burglar comedy duo Benny and Angela. One of the nuns is heavily pregnant - a major part of the ongoing storyline, but of course, despite the existence of a mole, it all ends happily ever after!
The style of the show is very tongue-in-cheek, OTT, self-effacing, peopled by mono-dimensional caricatures, and is a combination and conglomeration of many different styles, but the show and its concept takes much inspiration from the Japanese films of the 1980s, TV's Comic Strip Presents series, with more than a hat nod towards films such as 'Sister Act', 'Kill Bill', and 'The Matrix'.
The choice of venue sadly was not optimal. There was no set, just a black backcloth and a few stools, but entrances and exits were very problematic, meaning that I was banged and kicked several times by cast as they made their entrance / exit, and the nearness of cast to the audience was more than off-putting at times... there was only a couple of instances where the show / directing allowed for audience interaction, otherwise, it felt awkward and wrong. Costuming was adequate, and a comedic virtue was made from the obviously poor veils. Sound levels from the cast varied from almost inaudible at times (strange given the dimensions of the stage and their proximity to us) to the shouty and unnecessarily loud, whilst the music - presented here in the form of playbacks - was not loud enough and the balance of instruments not optimal at all.
The musical used a cast of 7. The three Nuns Of Fury (Emily Spiers, Hannah Millington and Molly Hirst), working well together. whilst Emily Millington stormed her way across the stage booming her RP-affected voice commandingly as the Mother Superior. Chris Williams impressed and the comedic and congenial Father Q, his understanding of the role, and his lovely ad libs and asides were a joy. The pantomimic comedy evil couple of Benny and Angela were played by Adam Gardiner and Hayley Boutty respectively. All seven put much into this show and obviously enjoyed their stage time. Some of the comedy though was a little trite and not executed with the correct timing or balance, and again due to the constraints of the performance space, the fights, prat falls, and physical comedy could not be given full reign sadly.
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 30.7.25
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