Potty the Plant | Wilton's Music Hall

Potty the Plant makes its London debut with a short run at Wilton's Music Hall, bringing the Fringe favourite mini-musical to new audiences. Directed by Baden Burns, the show is as fresh, freaky and fun as ever. The musical bursts on stage from the get go, with a hilariously wild premise. With a book written by Aeddan Sussex, Baden Burns and Sarah Burns, with music by Baden, Potty the Plant is utterly potty. 

The mini musical takes place in Little Boo Boo's General Hospital, where Potty the Plant (Baden Burns) lives in the office of Dr. Acula (Ash K-B), and adores the sweet yet unhappy Miss Lacey (Lucy Appleton). When children mysteriously start vanishing, Potty, along with three nurses, Mel (Stephanie Cubello), Stephen (Sam Ridley) and Dave (Joe Winter) must team up together to find the culprit. 

The musical leans into the absurdity of its premise, even bringing in a rather violent human personification of the Sun and the Moon, vampires, and a touch of Scooby Doo. The musical is drenched with unserious storytelling, exaggerating the illogical nature of its characters with a considerably smart wit and a sharp sense of humour. Adorned with countless puns, dad jokes and adult jokes, the musical embraces being rather camp, lapping up to its audience. The short runtime ensures that audiences are thrust into sixty minutes of utter chaos and delight. 

Potty the Plant, although ambitious in its script and production, does remain rooted in a more Fringe environment however, feeling quite out of place in the large space of Wilton's Musical Hall, a rather elegant and massive theatre space. This does result in the musical feeling a little more flat that the riotous success it saw at the Edinburgh Fringe (which I had previously seen). Although not the fault of the production itself, the many issues with audio did render large portions of the dialogue indiscernible. The smaller amusing details on hospital signs also went mostly unnoticed due to the large space of the theatre. The script is well written and clever, yet many of the jokes don't quite land as intended, leading to awkward pauses as the audiences don't react as hoped.

The cast do a brilliant job, leaning into the camp nature of the show, with a special shoutout to Ash K-B as Dr. Acula.  K-B is everything one could wish for, with a disturbingly charming performance as the vampire-like doctor. K-B's performance is brilliantly unhinged and taps into a rather spectacularly sinister sensuality that lends a darker edge to the show. Lucy Appleton is wonderful as the sweet natured, naive, ditzy and unhappy Miss Lacey, with a winning performance. Baden Burns as Potty the Plant is impressive, creating a distinctive voice for the role that helps clearly emphasis emotions. Aside from being stuffed into a small cupboard for the majority of the show to keep Potty the Plant, planted in his pot, Burns is also hilarious in his short role as a dancing waiter, demonstrating his own vocal and physical talents.  

The cast deliver excellent vocals, with catchy songs that will doubtlessly get stuck in your head. Joe Winter takes the endless ginger jokes in his stride, making audiences laugh and root for him with his reactions. Sam Ridley is hilarious as Stephen, but especially so as the Sun with a fantastic performance that shines through the show. Stephanie Cubello as Mel is a charming addition, and one of the show's strongest performances. Wholly committed to the role, Cubello's enthusiasm and energy revives the piece and propels it to a more excitable front. 

The songs are hit after hit. A highlight of the musical is the score, that never fails to leave audiences head bopping along to the songs that will remain on loop after the show. A charming blend of styles, the musical's upbeat soundtrack is delightful and a huge credit to the show. 

Potty the Plant is a hilarious and original concept for a musical which may have bloomed during the Fringe, but unfortunately struggles to thrive as much at the Wilton's Music Hall. Regardless, the musical itself is a guaranteed hour of brilliant songs, strong performances and an unforgettable theatre trip.

Potty the Plant is playing at Wilton's Music Hall until 28th June 2025. 

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Roan Lenihan