Flic is in a permanent state of crisis. A single, out-of-work actress, she survives by waiting tables, going home in the evenings to her manipulative cat, Miss Fluffington, at weekends she attends the weddings of her smug friends alone, and worst of all dreads that she will soon turn thirty. She is horrified to learn that her perfect younger sister is getting married. Will she be able to overcome her reluctance to find a date, or even love by the time of the wedding…?

SimG Records, a leading independent British label devoted to new musical theatre writers and artists, releases Girl in a Crisis, with book, music and lyrics by Andrew Fisher, The production premiered in November 2018 at the Crazy Coqs in London as part of the Live At Zédel Season, and is a new one-woman musical developed and directed by Simon Greiff that tells a painfully funny story about growing up.

Recorded at Baker Street Studios, the 28 track (54 min, 19 sec) original cast recording stars Olivier Award winning West End leading lady Lorna Want (Beautiful, Evita, Footloose, Parade, The Fantasticks), and includes a 24 page full colour booklet including photographs, synopsis and lyrics.

The story at the heart of Girl in a Crisis is full of so many cliches that you'll be forgiven for rolling your eyes... but the story is just the jumping off point for something that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Flic is a single woman, at "that" age (29 in this case) in her life where all of her friends are settling down and getting married. She's hit crisis point. She must find a man to show to the world that she's not going to end up a spinster for the rest of her life.

She's an actress... well a waitress waiting to be discovered. She lives alone in a flat with her pet cat and is hopeless in love (are you keeping track of the cliches?). When her sister invites her to her wedding (she's marrying Flic's ex boyfriend), Flic is determined to find Mr Right to prove to her family that she's not some sort of loveless freak.

The story follows Flic as she meets someone who really isn't right, but she's determined to make it work... whatever the cost.

As I mentioned previously, the character and events are hardly original... but what makes this shine is the characterisation of Flic. The writing is spot on, genuinely funny and you really start to care for her. This is in no small part down to the wonderful casting of Lorna Want. She can sing, which is pretty much a given, but she also gets under the skin of the character and can act. The comedy wouldn't work if Want wasn't funny. You really do start to care for her and her predicament. And when things go wrong, your heart break for her.

So, while it might not be the world's most original story, the execution is flawless. This is a wonderful production and well worth adding to your music library if you're a fan of Musical Theatre.

9

Daisy May