I WAS A TEENAGE SHE-DEVIL - theSpace @ Niddry Street (19/08/25)

Fun, frenzied fever dream of a musical drives us crazy in the best way

It is difficult to go wrong with a dark comedy when it comes to musical theatre, the unhinged nature of mixing comedy with horror often makes for deliciously compelling storytelling, you only have to look as far as shows like Heathers or Little Shop of Horrors to know it can be a winning formula. Enter new Sean Matthew Whiteford musical "I Was A Teenage She-Devil", a show dripping in 1980s culture, from the attire to the language, and even the score has a distinctly 80s feel to it.

The first item of intrigue is that of "who is the she-devil?", as there emerge several contenders throughout the course of the initial exposition; will it be punk rock rebel Debbie, our first character we meet? Could it be schoolyard bully Tiffany? All is revealed after the unassuming Nancy, Debbie's best friend in the world, makes a deal with the devil to increase her popularity following a humiliation at the hands of the self-professed popular kids at the school dance.

Official artwork for "I Was A Teenage She-Devil"

Much like the 2024 off-broadway adaptation of Teeth, we have a musical that starts out fairly unassuming, often camp and corny, but gradually descends into the realms of the surreal, chaotic, at times downright insane. Whiteford, in collaboration with NYC-based director Rachel Klein, manages this masterfully, as the pair have created something dark, uninhibited, and brilliantly bonkers that makes Carrie look like a family show, and in many ways is the quintessential fringe production.

The pivotal scene, between Nancy and Satan, is probably the most compelling, as not only are we treated to some hard rocking, wailing vocals from Sean Arkless, of which greats like Ian Gillan or Robert Plant would have been immensely proud, but we get a real sense of Faith Pasch's range as an actress. Her initial presentation of Nancy is sweet and unassuming, however her transformation into the titular "She-Devil" almost makes us as an audience do a double take, and doubt whether this is the same person, such is the conviction with which Pasch disappears into the duality of the role, both in terms of her acting versatility, and her equally impressive vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin.

In general this was one of the big strengths of this production, you will find it difficult to come across a cast with stronger vocal performances at the fringe this year, everyone had moments to really showcase their pipes, including some particularly stratospheric high notes from Caitlin Anderson and Charis Stockton. But the biggest part of the show's appeal is how self-aware it is, it knows exactly how ridiculous and maniacal it is, and plays heavily into this unashamed sense of identity, never taking itself too seriously.

This very much prevents the musical from descending into being cringeworthy or feeling like it's trying too hard to be something it isn't, because it successfully executes how it wishes to present itself, for which one can only shower it with praise. If you are a fan of shows like Heathers or Teeth, then "I Was a Teenage She-Devil" could well be your next musical theatre obsession.

★★★★☆

"I Was A Teenage She-Devil" ran until the 20th of August at theSpace @Niddry Street.

{PR/Gifted ticket}