Arcola theatre, London
This firecracker adaptation of the 1990 Johnny Depp film pokes fun at American conservative values in rockabilly songs bursting with biting ironies

This musical adaptation of John Waters’ comedy of teen rebellion in 1950s America was not a big hit when it opened on Broadway in 2008. Why not? It is a deliciously satirical creation: dark, silly and utterly delightful. It sends up not only a genre of musicals that feature teen love across the divide, from West Side Story to Grease, but acerbically pokes fun at Wasp-y values and America itself – from its constitution to its sense of exceptionalism.

This first professional UK production was long overdue, and in director Mehmet Ergen’s hands it is a firecracker of a show – faster, funnier and more intelligent than so much other retro teen musical fare in the West End.