The Parent Agency musical at Storyhouse Chester – review

Ever since Tim Minchin did his thing for the RSC with Matilda nearly 15 years ago, it seems like everybody’s looking for the next family musical to produce, with an eye on a London transfer and a potential money-spinner for years to come. Storyhouse, Chester’s welcoming theatre that feels a million miles away from the bright lights of the West End, has been quite open about its hopes for this new show, urging its supporters to rally behind it and propel it towards a future life.

If that sounds a little cynical, then you’re reckoning without the show itself. Because, while it may not be ready in its current form for an outing in the metropolis, it has one definite, huge plus in its favour that counts for so much when it comes to attracting audiences to this genre. What The Parent Agency has tons of is heart.

Based on David Baddiel’s first book for children, and with music by Everybody’s Talking About Jamie composer Dan Gillespie Sells, there’s a mischievous delight in the schoolboy humour and a couple of superb standout songs in a score that is consistently upbeat and joyful.

Baddiel has written the book and lyrics for the stage adaptation and, while his trademark wit is there in abundance, its structure feels rather linear and predictable, resulting in a narrative that trundles along perfectly satisfactorily but without a really compelling momentum to drive the drama.

Ten-year-old Barry is fed up with his family and, by magic or accident, conjures up the mysterious titular agency to suggest alternatives to his boring, permanently tired and cash-strapped parents. Their worst crime? Calling him Barry, of course. The various options he’s offered as replacements all fall short in some manner, while Barry learns a little humility and gratitude along the way.

The opening number, in which the boy laments his lot along with his name, is a barnstormer and, frankly, the rest of the show struggles to live up to its ingenuity and verve. But with some sharpening of the pace and some decent dramaturgy around the plot, all that’s fixable. What you can’t artificially create is the heart, and here The Parent Agency scores highly.

Max Bispham, the press night Barry, is nothing short of astonishing. On stage for the entire two-hour duration, it’s a remarkable feat for any performer, let alone one as young as this, and his singing, acting and movement are all of the highest calibre. Plus he’s a charmer. It’s a winning combination.

But the well-drilled ensemble under director Tim Jackson and choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille are terrific too. Rebecca McKinnis and Rakesh Boury multi-role all the sets of parents auditioning for Barry’s selection, giving them ample opportunity to showcase their multitudinous talents – particularly as a vacuous celebrity couple riffing off each other in white suits and dark glasses – while Alan Vicary doubles superbly as Barry’s forgetful grandad and the smarmy head of the Parent Agency.

It’s all done with evident love, affection and good humour both in front of and behind the footlights, and with a live band pumping out Sells’s tunes, there’s energy aplenty. Who knows if it’ll go on to greater heights, but in its own right, it’s a worthy addition to Storyhouse’s growing roster of productions.