Disney movies have always featured in my repertoire and I was curious as to what a reimagined musical version of the Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis and movie of the same name might look like considering the movie was circa 2003.
If you don’t know the plot (remember it is a Disney story) a teenage girl and her mum argue and smash a mysterious sand timer lamp unravelling its magic which switches them into the others body for day. This production is blessed with the highest calibre of a production team: book by Bridget Carpenter, which skilfully balances the humour and the plot to maintain interest and moves along at quite a pace. Disney alumni Tom Kitt’s music and clever plot driving lyrics by Brian Yorkey, whose award-winning partnership infuses the score with both contemporary flair and some excellent heartfelt character moments. I particularly enjoyed the ‘Busted’ number and ‘Parents Lie’ which really added to the plot with humour and pathos in contrast.
The music does what it says on the tin and serves its purpose—energising the story, sharpening emotional beats, and giving the production a glossy, modern update with street jargon and tips of the hat to popular culture – were the songs memorable? Probably not but did they work for a Disney musical? Absolutely!
Director Andy Fickman has shaped the material with a clear sense of direction and comic timing, ensuring that the show’s body-swap chaos is clear and never too silly. There are moments of panic when Katherine and Ellie connect and disconnect with the challenges they find in their body switches. Choreographer Alekzandra Sarmiento who created last year’s stunning and vibrant 42 Balloons brings a lively and recognisable physical vocabulary to the production. Her choreography not only enhances the musical numbers with some lovely group numbers – the gym scene was knockout but also supports character development. Opening of Act 2 was wonderful with the rock gospel number ‘Bring my Baby (Brother) Home’ which for me was the stand out number of the evening.
This new production’s musical integrity is firmly anchored by Music Supervisor and Conductor Will Parker, whose leadership ensures cohesion between the orchestra and performers. Alongside him, Musical Director George Strickland refines vocal performances and ensemble precision, resulting in a polished and expressive musical landscape beautifully executed by an enthusiastic and talented cast and ever lyric and beat landed perfectly.
Set and Costume Designer David Shields creates a flexible environment and landscape that shifts fluidly between domestic spaces: the set looked like the inside of the glass sand timer and the clever high school lockers and Katherine’s home were reminiscent of a Dr Seuss picture book and captured the colours and echoes of high-school chaos, and fantastical elements, while carefully chosen costumes helped define characters before—and after—their unexpected transformation. Lots of actors played a variety of characters and this was fun and well executed and very well costumed too. The actors in the scene where Ellie is at risk of failing high school and in front of the school board was very entertaining with the grumpy and boring Spanish teacher and highly entertaining and visually effective.
Supporting this vision, Lighting Designer Nick Richings uses colour, texture, and rhythmic cues to emphasise emotional beats and musical transitions. The transition scene with its reds and magic was mesmerising. Meanwhile, Sound Designer Alastair Penman ensures clarity and balance across dialogue, vocals, and instrumentation, contributing significantly to the show’s high production value. The sound was excellent better than I have heard at the Palace and Opera house – a real standout. Every word, syllable and balanced so I could even hear the diction in the loud and busy finale songs .
Much of the score, however, proves surprisingly unmemorable once you leave the theatre, largely because its strongest qualities stem from how firmly it is anchored exclusively to the onstage context. The songs function beautifully in the moment but rarely linger afterwards—with two notable exceptions. One of the most spectacular and truly memorable moments comes in Act 2, with a rock-gospel number during the search for the missing younger brother. This number bursts with energy, vocal power, and theatrical flair, instantly grabbing attention and leaving a lasting impression, a perfect example of the score at its most thrilling and unforgettable. The other was the ‘Parents Lie’ which is a quiet and connective song between Ellie and her younger brother Fletcher and was calm and melancholic and added terrific contrast to a quite loud soundtrack.
Onto the lead characters; firstly, the controlling, soon to be married, uptight, overly stretched and demanding mother, Katherine Blake who was beautifully portrayed by the stellar Rebecca Lock who I’ve seen many times and relied on her uber talents to energise Katherine’s vocals and powerhouse numbers. She really got the different character of the petulant teenage daughter’s feist and stroppy body language and quick, sharp, snarky dialogue and effortless musical comedy acting. Her foil was the upcoming musical star Jena Pandya who sparkled and shined in this year’s Bollywood musical ‘Come Fall in Love’ and who absolutely shone from her first scene as firstly the stroppy teen Ellie but then morphed into her mother. She is so enigmatic you cannot take your eyes off her. Their connection and relationship and stratospheric vocals are what I will remember mostly in this product. There was tangible energy and their acting energies definitely aligned with neither competing. Through this, the stage becomes a place where the roles can slip and swap—mother becoming child, child becoming mother—and I was drawn into the drama wanting them to resolve their predicament.
Freaky Friday is a charming, whimsical story rather than a deep or intricate narrative. Its quirky narrowness allows it to function as a vehicle to explore teenage and adult relationships—particularly the moments we fail to truly see or hear each other until something goes wrong. For that purpose, it absolutely works. It is not Shakespeare, but it doesn’t need to be. It works because it is Disney: about characters, joy, and the triumph of good, with everything neatly resolved in the end. Thanks to a fantastic ensemble cast and Lock’s and Pandya’s performances this deserves to be a successful musical.
Unfortunately, on the evening I attended the audience was not big enough and although I laughed and smiled heartily and clapped and cheered at the end the audience wasn’t big enough for the performers to see and feel this. I do think it is seasonal timing and hopefully once word and reviews spread that it will have many more bums on seats and give it the plaudits it deserves.
Freaky Friday is being performed at Home MCR until January 10th 2026. Go and escape for a couple of hours.
Reviewer - Kathryn Gorton
On - 5th December 2025
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