2015MANCUNJ-ATB-300Barely two minutes into Mancunian Rhapsondy, a “true-ish, jew-ish musical comedy” and BAM, there’s the Hitler joke. Not the most subtle reference, but best to get it out the way early I guess?

Mancunian Rhapsody is certainly one of a kind. It’s not everyday you see a Jewish woman with a thick Mancunian accent, dancing with her hoover and singing  “I want to clean house” (in lieu of “I want to break free”).

Rivki (Debra Tammer, also the writer) is a modern Orthodox Jewish mum with a passion for Freddy Mercury. Her Rabbi son – nerdy, nervous Michael – is about to get married, having finally found love online (www.JewWantMe.com) despite his mother’s fears that he may be *gasp* homosexual. The lucky lady is Devorah, a Brooklyn girl also played by Tammer with a wonderfully thick New York accent. However, a gossipy revelation throws everything into jeopardy.

The story is woven through with Jewish reworkings of all your favourite catchy tunes. Their funny lyrics and the songs make up the best of the show. However, the comedy has a tendency to become a tad clunky and heavy handed at times. While the jokes were funny, they are rarely unpredictable.

Tommy Burgess as Rabbi Michael has quite a voice and his captivating songs are a highlight. But the rest of the time he seems falls into two main pitches: talking and wailing. Both Burgess and Tammer, however, do a good job of pulling off this two hander almost completely comprised of monologues. They made me almost forget I was watching monologues, which is no mean feat.

The farcical side of it all really came into its own in the final number – see the title to get the general idea – and all in all, brought a smile to my face. However despite this,  Mancunian Rhapsody rattles on quite predictably, right up to the final punchline of that previously mentioned Hitler joke.

Mancunian Rhapsody is at C Cubed 10-29 August. For more information click here.