Musical review: Love Actually? The Musical Parody, Athenaeum Theatre

If the 21st century has contributed anything significant to ritual traditions of the holiday season, surely it must be the obligatory annual screening of Love Actually (2003). Inducing equal feelings of delight and disdain, Richard Curtis’ saccharine magnum opus of sentimentality is the ensemble film that launched a thousand overstuffed holiday-based romantic comedies.

Two decades after its release (a horrifyingly long amount of time, we know) this movie has been burnt into our collective brains, to the point that most fans could close their eyes and play the entire two-hour screenplay on the back of their eyelids: Heathrow Airport. Bill Nighy’s horny slurring. Hugh Grant gyrating around 10 Downing Street. Emma Thompson crying to Joni Mitchell. The guy from The Walking Dead flashing Keira Knightly in the middle of the night (with cue cards). Et cetera, et cetera.

So surely by now a parody is not only appropriate, but mandatory. 

So is it Love, Actually?

Love Actually? The Parody Musical! is not high art, nor does it pretend to be. The joy of the experience comes largely from how it feeds into our nostalgia and reaffirms the frequently made observations – particularly regarding the overly stacked cast of British acting legends. For simplicity and laughs, characters in this production are simply addressed as the famous actors who originally played the roles (Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant and so on). This is with the notable exception of Alan Rickman’s character, who is instead portrayed straight up as Professor Severus Snape of Harry Potter fame – a hilarious impression, which more closely resembles Dr Evil from Austin Powers, but that’s a minor quibble. 

Huge kudos to the collective cast of six actors, who between them take on just under 50 different roles and nine intertwining love stories in a two-hour production. A majority of the show’s highlights come from the physical comedy performances of actor Belinda Jenkin, whose roles included the Fosse-evoking, aptly named Minge (the infamous office seductress who becomes involved with Alan Rickman’s character) and Keira Knightly (with an uncanny chin-based homage to the original performance). 

The musical largely follows the same beats as the movie. As a parody, it offers little more than what has already been criticised about the film a million times and relies on the pre-existing enthusiasm of the audience. Despite the competent performances of the cast, as an original text the show is underwhelming.

The experience is also let down by the muddy sound quality in the Athenaeum Theatre, which makes many lyrics indecipherable and only highlights the weaknesses of the score. The constant and innumerable quick changes likely complicate the sound production, but some missed cues and mic issues when this reviewer attended were quite noticeable. 

With a story as broad and weaving as the original Love Actually, the result here is an inconsistent viewing experience. Some plot points hit, such as Keira Knightley and the Guy from The Walking Dead’s love story. Others are quite hard misses, such as a bizarre and unnecessary homage to Hamilton in a song performed by the Queen of England.

Read: Exhibition review: Pompeii, National Museum of Australia

This production rewards hardcore fans of the original film. If you’re searching for a high-quality production with witty insights and a memorable score, this probably isn’t going to impress you. But if you actually love Love Actually, and you feel it in your fingers and toes, you will find something (or several things) to love and laugh at. If you’re thinking of shaking up your yearly rewatch, but still want the Love Actually experience, consider stepping out and catching this show during the Christmas season. 

Love Actually? The Musical Parody, Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne
Book and Lyrics: Bob and Tobly McSmith
Music: Basil Winterbottom
Director and Choreographer: David Venn
Cast: Ian Andrew, Mitchell Groves, Belinda Jenkin, Sophie Loughran, Jeremy Harland and Massimo Zuccara
Love Actually? The Musical Parody will be performed until 23 December 2024.