Starter for Ten | Birmingham Rep

A brilliantly hilarious adaptation of the 2006 film, Starter for Ten is a coming-of-age comedy with a book by Emma Hall and Charlie Parham (founders of Antic Productions) and music by Hatty Carman and Tom Rasmussen. The show has taken off since opening at the Bristol Old Vic, bringing in diverse audience with themes of love, belonging and self-discovery that appeal to everyone. The production has been praised for enticing audiences young and old, showing young people's experiences in finding themselves at university while also giving a much welcomed sense of nostalgia through the embracing of the 80s setting.

The show follows aspiring academic Brian Jackson through his year at Bristol University, leaving his home and mum, best friend and neighbour to expand his horizons and become a contestant on his all time favourite tv quiz show - University Challenge, something he has been aspiring to since he was a kid. As the show progresses, the audience understands more of the importance of this show to Brian, shown through flashback scenes featuring Logan Meers - local young talent training at the School of Theatre Excellence (SOTE) - as the younger version of the protagonist. Meers fits in well with the professional cast, showing a mature connection to the material and character that brings out of the audience a deeper understanding of Brian’s drive as an adult, especially through his authentic bond with dad, Dave.

With a completely original score and book written for the show, no word falls out of place, making it feel like a relatable and easy watch, touching on universal experiences and feelings of leaving home with a knowing and sympathetic touch.

With the cast and story revolving around him, Adam Bregman leads the production with impressive vocal prowess, giving a truthful and emotionally articulate portrayal of Brian after also playing the role during the show’s debut in Bristol last year. Bregman exemplifies the discovery and complete encapsulation of new experiences Brian is going through at university, staying grounded in what makes him who he is just enough to make the changes clear to the audience without losing the character completely. Despite the high demand on Bregman, he gives a consistent performance all throughout the show, using the relatability of Brian’s situation to keep the audience on his side all the way through even when making more questionable choices.

Playing opposite Bregman, Imogen Craig and Asha Parker-Wallace both make stand-out professional debuts as the romantic interests of the show - whimsical upper-class actress Alice played by Craig, and skeptical working-class activist Rebecca played by Parker-Wallace. Playing as opposing forces, each of the two provide outstanding vocal performances, with Craig’s solo number being one of the most notable numbers of the first act. A song and choreography filled to the brim with cheek and overtly-feminine charm, the number is reminiscent of a number of 80’s pop songs, and Craig doesn’t fail to match this energy in character or vocals.

Similarly to Bregman, Parker-Wallace masters the shift between who Rebecca is at the start of term and who she is changed into by the end of her first year - finding a despondency and detachment from what made the character tick as she finds herself devoured by new experiences and struggles to find her feet. After blowing us away in two duets, it feels somewhat a shame Parker-Wallace is not given a chance in the show to perform solo. Nonetheless, both graduates show talent that makes them worth keeping an eye on in the future.

It’s impossible not to notice every member of the stellar cast in this production, performing with bold, larger-than-life characters that perfectly match the cultural memory of the 80s. Driving forward through countless high energy dance numbers with strong characterisation that stand out and is enjoyable to watch without breaking the synchronicity within the ensemble. With almost all of the cast multi-roleplaying, the contrast between each character is remarkable and it is always comical to see a character's personality exaggerated to the breaking point to provide this difference.

Luke Johnson takes on a particularly challenging trio of characters with outstanding ease, taking on two opposing featured ensemble roles and Brian’s neighbour Des - though you couldn’t be faulted for believing they were played by different actors with the expert skill Johnson uses to embody each character.

There is nothing lacking in the rest of the featured ensemble and principal cast either, with many of the most heartfelt moments being brought by the supporting cast. Mel Giedroyc as Irene provides the backbone of Brian's life, being the most prominent identifier of the impact his choices have on others around him. Giedroyc’s natural feeling maternal performance highlights the touching themes of grief and growing apart from family while trying to find yourself, bringing emotional lows that makes the show complete - especially during her second act duet with Bregman.

Will Jennings’ comic acting and complete commitment to the nerdy team leader Patrick never fails to brighten the stage and bring laughter to the auditorium, Christian Maynard as Spencer gives a rowdy performance that demonstrates the high tensions between groups in this era. Miracle Chance as Lucy is another stand-out comic with her fun solo moments bringing her character to life. Stephen Ashfield effortlessly shifts between his two characters, stepping on stage with charisma and charm as quiz host Bamber that makes him easily watchable, and holding a gentle presence as Brian’s dad.

There is a premise in musicals that if something cannot be said, it is sung, and if it cannot be sung, it is danced. In this show, it seems to be more that if it cannot be sung, it is shown through a fully produced and choreographed music video. This feeling comes from Zoe Spurr’s lighting design creating balancing natural and non-naturalistic lightning styles and creating cinematic moments with the audience's attention strongly directed, and Alexzandra Sarmiento’s choreography being so strongly motivated by the story that the transitions feel effortlessly natural, despite the movement bringing such heightened theatricality to what the characters are experiencing - each number begins to feel like a snapshot into a different world.

All this stands upon a visually stunning and inventive set and costume design by Lee Newby, taking place within a basic tv studio set framing the playing space, inspired by the aesthetics of the 70s and 80s. This makes many of the costumes feel quite iconic and nostalgic, and with the era lending itself to a variety of styles, each character is costumed in their own completely unique, bold style, that hugely contributes to identifying their personality and values, even down to individual ensemble members - making it easy for the audience to start reading the dynamics between characters.

If there is anything this production must be faulted for, it would be that you would sometimes wish that some of the dialogue was given more time, as there are moments where the story progresses while we’re left feeling like we’ve missed something in the middle of two scenes. It may be also beneficial to the structure of the show, as currently the scene-song-repeat structure creates a consistent pace but can begin to feel predictable and somewhat repetitive, especially by the time it gets to the second act the show may benefit from some added spontaneity.

Starter for Ten is a brilliant new musical making exciting strides in its development this year, with an exceptional cast and brilliantly human story. It has a lot of potential in its future - this is a show most definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Starter for Ten plays at the Birmingham Rep until 01st November 2025.

Tickets and More Information

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Pamela Raith