Book, Music and Lyrics: Maimuna Menon
Director: Kirsty Patrick Ward
Maimuna Menon first debuted her gig theatre musical Manic Street Creature at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022. Since then, she has won an Olivier Award for her role in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, with a further nomination for Standing at the Sky’s Edge, solidifying her position as one of Britain’s most exciting musical theatre stars.
Nearly four years on from its debut, the play makes its London debut with a sound that exemplifies why Menon was such a good choice for the Richard Hawley jukebox musical. In both her voice and her songwriting, Menon similarly infuses wry optimism with rivulets of great pain and lyrical sorrow.
The same can be said for Manic Street Creature as a whole. Set in a rehearsal studio, Menon’s Ria is gigging with some mates, working through a set list of songs she has written about her life. Through the numbers and the narration in between, Ria talks about moving from Lancashire to London, navigating the challenges of sky-high rents, gigging for free in the hope of repeat gigs – and then, one night, finding the guy who will change her life.
As the whirlwind romance proceeds apace, Ria’s relationship with bar manager Daniel seems to be progressing well, so well that she tells him she loves him – and he freaks out. Menon’s earlier, happier numbers return and twist into more complex patterns, especially when, after several months, Daniel returns to her. It is clear, however, that his mental health is deteriorating.
Whenever we witness somebody else’s mental deterioration through another’s eyes on stage, there is a risk that we focus on the “wrong” person, that one character’s poor health becomes sidelined, turned into a plot device to examine the effect it has on somebody else. Menon seems aware of that trope and inverts it: Ria is so focused on helping Daniel that she neglects herself, risking a repeat of the pattern she witnessed in her parents.
It’s as thrilling a ride as it is at times upsetting. As Daniel is diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder and tries a succession of drug regimes to help stabilise him, Menon’s performance is infused with anguish and concern. When her boyfriend finally finds a prescription that works for him, its removal of his suicidal ideation also seems to remove the affection he has for Ria.
When someone has devoted their life to helping their partner, it takes guts to admit that the treatment is having a negative impact on them. There’s an admirable sense of self-awareness in Ria, an acknowledgement that complaining about the effect a drug that is stopping Daniel from killing himself feels selfish.
But that is also the germ of the revelations to come. When they arrive, Libby Watson’s set splits apart, converting the shabby rehearsal space into a light-bedecked performance stage. Ria’s acceptance of her and Daniel’s unhealthy co-dependence becomes a literal flood of light and colour. And throughout, even as Menon takes Ria and her audience to the depths of despair and back, that sense of wry optimism remains.
There is such a raw openness to Manic Street Creature that one is immediately tempted to believe it is a purely autobiographical work. But that would deny Menon’s ability to craft a story through both narrative and music. Whether Ria is a character based in fact or one who is completely fictional matters not. She is vivid, she is real, and she is alive in an astounding piece of musical theatre.
Runs until 28 March 2026
