Thursday night I went to see Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others, a musical loosely based on the musical works of The Smiths.
It was six actors moving around in a very abstract narrative that recalled the oddest music videos you've seen, very much style over substance. There was gun fire, poisoned wine, trapeze artistry, and black and white video footage, all set to the rather morose tones of songs like "I Know It's Over" and "What She Said".
At one point the entire troop drops into a pool of flesh, reminiscent of those photos from the wars where they pile the dead on top of each other. Like an Iwo Jima flag, a microphone is erected on the top of the pile where the last standing actor can sing "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want".
It was an entertaining evening, with a bit more sexual undertone given to a couple of the tracks (especially to songs like "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"), and the new musical arrangement - augmented by a live string section - which was second to none.
If you go, turn your brain off, enjoy the ride and just don't expect to understand what the hell's going on.
Link: The Times review
