A new West End musical of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the latest in a spate of movie-to-musical adaptations, has met with applause from UK critics. The show at the Playhouse Theatre, London is based on the cult 1980s arthouse comedy by Pedro Almodovar, and stars television actress Tamsin Greig.
Bartlett Sher directs the musical, with a book by Jeffrey Lane and music and lyrics by David Yazbek, about a group of women who fall for the same middle-aged womaniser. Greig appears as Pepa, an insomniac TV actress who has recently been dumped by the cad. While the stage show flopped on Broadway in 2010, British critics have given this version the thumbs up.
"This is an absolute joy of an evening," says Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph, noting that "the gag-count is much higher than in the 1988 film". He also praises Greig on "an impressive musical debut" as the gawky Pepa.
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The Independent's Paul Taylor agrees, hailing the masterstroke of casting of Greig in the central role. "Greig's superb timing and her matchless ability to flicker between comic absurdity and desolate melancholy" are a tremendous asset says Taylor. He adds this is "a gloriously camp yet seriously heartfelt celebration of female powers of survival and self-emancipation".
Greig has strong support from the rest of the cast, including Anna Skellern, who is "excellent" in the role of Pepa’s zany friend Candela, says Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail.
Dominic Maxwell at The Times admits he never loved Pedro Almodovar's film, and hates being strongarmed into having fun, but the musical "ends up taking us somewhere both funny and tender". He adds "this grumpyguts left the theatre won over".
Michael Billington in The Guardian was less convinced of the musical format, saying "it all makes for a perfectly pleasant show", but the songs, while adding depth to character, "put a brake on the story's propulsion".
The Independent reports that Almodovar has given his blessing to this version of his story, but it remains to be seen whether the enthusiasm of British critics will translate into full houses on its West End run. Booking until 9 May.
