By David Dent
If you’re going to make a romcom/monstermovie/#metoo revenge/musical in the 21st Century, Caroline Lindy’s genre messing feature is the way to do it – fast, funny, awkward and brilliantly put together.
Nouveau scream queen Melissa Barrera is Laura, a talented stage actress and singer hard at work co-creating a new musical with her producer boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan) when tragedy strikes her, in the form of cancer. But after successful treatment Laura’s slow road to recovery is a little too slow for Jacob, who walks out on her while she’s recovering.
With only her flaky friend Mazie (Kayla Foster) for assistance, Laura’s woes continue when she finds out that Jacob’s musical is at casting stage and she hasn’t received a call (pretty insulting when the lead part, named Laurie, was pretty much written for you). She winds up back at her mum’s house.
But when Laura couldn’t get any lower, she’s joined by a figure from her past; Monster (just Monster, no other name, played by Tommy Dewey). He’s the mythical creature from the closet and under the bed that Laura imagined as a child and thought she’d left behind. Except he’s in the here and now, he’s all buff and he’s exerting his right to tenancy in the house, where he’s always lived.
Gradually an alliance, and then a friendship, is kindled between the two as Monster helps Laura face her demons and get her mojo back. And before you can say BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, Laura has a plan to get back into the musical, whether Jacob likes it or not.
This fabulous comedy horror (actually there’s not a massive amount of horror) set in the show world of downtown New York City plays out like a 1980s romcom with a bit of 42nd STREET chucked in, but with an extra dose of meanness on the part of the philandering, career destroying Jacob.
Monster of course has a number of creative tricks up his sleeve and the evolution of his friendship with Laura is both heartwarming and gently subversive. Anyone who saw Barrera in the 2021 movie IN THE HEIGHTS will know that she can belt out a tune and Tim Williams’s score is both funny and moving (it’s a shame we don’t get to hear more of it, but a three hour monster musical may not be everyone’s cup of tea). Go see it.
Your Monster is released on 29 November 2024 in the UK.
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