This is a spoiler-free review of Oor Wullie: The Musical.
Oor Wullie: The Musical has arrived at the Dundee Rep for the festive season - and it was very exciting to be invited to the opening night.
First things first - the staging was nothing short of incredible - with it’s utilisation going over and above. A huge step up from Cinderella.
If you were to ask me to describe the musical, think of it as Dundee’s answer to Greta Gerwig’s hit feature film, Barbie.
We are introduced to Nilo, a 13 year old Dundonian who is coming home from living in London. There, we are introduced to Nilo’s father, Daniyal, who tempts Nilo to embrace Scottish culture.
Telling her the story of Oor Wullie, Daniyal tries to bond with her daughter and after contemplating telling her father that she would rather spend Christmas with their mother, who runs a shop back in London, she asks Wullie what he would do.
Quickly and brilliantly, Wullie gets transported to the real world, through the iconic Oor Wullie annual, and meets Nilo, and afterwards, they become fast friends and team up to try and find Wullie’s bucket which has gone missing.
Throughout the show, we are introduced to Wullie’s pals who are too transported into the real world, as well as Basher, Wullie’s school bully who is the main antagonist of the story.
The two parts are split in different settings: the first part in Dundee, and the second, in the fictional toon of Auchenshoogle, the centre of Wullie’s universe.
It’s a very smart retelling of the comic, bringing Dundee into the story and linking it with the creation made by DC Thomson which gets a lovely tribute in the final moments of the show.
The musical numbers were hilarious, heartwarming and humble. Full of energy and excitement and enjoyment.
The theme of family is central to the plot, with Nilo and Daniyal’s relationship growing stronger as the story goes on. It’s very wholesome to watch and the humour is brilliant.
The acting was fantastic and the passion the actors of the musical have is brilliant! The Rep really are lucky to have a variety of incredible actors starting up in the industry - a hotbed of talent.
There is one message that I take away from this show.
Dundee is home – and family is everything.
Rating
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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