I Was A Teenage She-Devil is a slice of full-throttle, neon-drenched insanity, in the best possible way.
The show began life at the Edinburgh Fringe, and you can feel that DNA running right through it. This is a show built for late-night crowds, cult energy and word-of-mouth buzz; now it’s made the leap to London at The Other Palace’s intimate studio, bringing its glitter, guitars and glorious chaos with it. Written entirely by Sean Matthew Whiteford, it has a clear, confident voice and a strong sense of exactly the world it wants to create.
At the show’s heart is a classic (and knowingly bonkers) story: Nancy must quite literally sell her soul, journey to hell and back, through that chaos discover who she really is and, of course, find true love at the end of it all. It’s big, bold storytelling, delivered with a tongue in cheek wink and a lot of volume.
From the moment it starts, the energy is sky-high and stays there. No slow build, no gentle introduction, just straight into a riot of sound, colour and attitude. Neon pink, glitter, leather, studs… it’s all here, with playful nods to 1980s music and film culture woven throughout, including a cheeky Back to the Future quote and a tribute to icon Sam Fox through song.
Vocally, it’s seriously strong. Big, high-octane voices across the cast, with numbers that feel closer to a live gig than traditional musical theatre. There’s confidence to it, as though everyone on stage knows exactly the show they’re in and is having a great time delivering it.
🔥Standouts?
Jordan Fox’s Big Rod is a scene-stealer – funny, charismatic and just the right side of ridiculous, with mesmerising denim shorts that deserve their own billing (and postcode, to be honest 😉). Think somewhere between Disney’s Gaston and a Bill & Ted character dropped into a rock musical. Aoife Haakenson’s Nancy is engaging and grounded (the pink neon recorder is a beautiful touch!), giving the show a strong, likeable centre and a performance that holds its own amid all the chaos. And then there’s Satan, brilliantly played by Sean Arkless, who is right up there with the best. His seamless shift from awkward library weirdo to leather-studded rock devil is a standout transformation and one of the show’s most entertaining arcs.
Chaos really is the order of the day. Confetti flying. Satan making an entrance. Glitter everywhere. A metal-infused god-like moment. Possession. Synths. Big hair energy. It comes at you in waves, a kind of joyful, controlled madness that feels very true to its Fringe roots.
There are glimpses of something deeper underneath – identity, belonging, a touch of darkness – but they’re lightly sketched rather than fully explored. You do get the sense there’s room for this to grow into something even bigger and sharper if it wanted to lean further into those themes.
At 80 minutes, it’s tight, punchy and slick. Hugely entertaining, brilliantly performed, and clearly very well rehearsed. Whether it evolves beyond this or stays exactly as it is, it already succeeds at what it sets out to do: deliver a fun, high-energy, slightly unhinged night of theatre.
UTS rating: 
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