Critical Reaction

“For an entertaining night of salacious humour, strong songs and good old-fashioned melodrama, it's hard to beat”

Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph

“Kath Gotts supplies unflaggingly vivacious music and lyrics, ranging from a song for moppers-out (A Life of Grime) to a gospel moment for a godly shoplifter.”

Susannah Clapp, The Observer

“There is real artfulness in Kath Gotts’ music and lyrics and Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus’ book. A big, popular, brassy show that pushes all the right buttons.”

Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

“Slick and assured, it offers an entertaining mix of tongue-in-cheek comedy and resonant pathos”

Dominic Cavendish, The Daily Telegraph

“A big, broad, bawdy musical that is a joy from beginning to end”

Steve Pratt, The Northern Echo

“Tough, brutal and funny. Brilliant songs range from a blues lament to a Garland/Astaire duet, to a full-blown Busby Berkeley routine”

Kevin Berry, The Stage

“An entertaining blend of high drama, toe-tapping show tunes and a bucketload of guffaws. Bad Girls – The Musical is a brilliant way to spend an evening”

Amanda Trickett, Metro

“In the vibrant tradition of shows like Blood Brothers, Spend Spend Spend and Billy Elliot. Ingeniously melding the harsh realities of its women’s prison setting with the irresistible bounce of a musical whose primary objective is to entertain.”

Mark Shenton, The Stage

“The authors Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus have produced a tight, taut show full of human spirit”

Michael Coveney, Whatsonstage.com