Event Review | Mario! A Super Musical (MusiCube)

The premise does sound achingly familiar, but it was quickly evident that everything, from the hammy character impressions and comically bad puns to the ultra-low budget props and costumes, was all meant to be in good fun. A lot of the humour consisted of lampshading and fourth-wall jokes, along with gratuitous references and nods to various Nintendo franchises and characters. Intentionally bad or corny puns were aplenty, as was physical comedy, particularly from the Wario and Waluigi characters, who were presented as a bumbling Chuckle Brother-esque comedy double act. As a result, it was clear that this was a parody not to be taken too seriously.

All of the songs featured were based on classic Nintendo tunes, which felt like both a blessing and a curse at times. Some choices did admittedly feel a little forced and awkward ("Delfino Plaza" is perhaps a tune that just doesn't lend itself well to being sung with lyrics), but at the same time, no one could argue that the "Gusty Garden Galaxy" theme couldn't have made for a better theme for the Act One showstopper. A mixed bag, then, generally speaking, but it's safe to say that the remixes were thoughtfully applied and fun enough, overall.

By far the biggest issue of the evening, however, was that the music was just too loud in parts. With the exception of a few performers who managed to make themselves heard over the noise, many voices were just overwhelmed by the music and so were impossible to hear as a result. This meant that a lot of the better musical numbers like "Luigi's Lament" (a rap number utilising the main theme from Luigi's Mansion) and the finale, "Please Don't Sue Us," were definitely not as enjoyable as they should be, for want of being able to understand what the performers were singing. This is a shame, given how a lot of the show's humour and more pertinent plot points seemed to be conveyed mostly through the lyrics, rather than speech.