Sean Matthew Whiteford’s devotion to his parody project is clear enough. Having written the book, music, lyrics, and orchestrated the show in various forms over 15 years, the hard work is impressive and went down well at the Edinburgh Fringe. The success might well depend on nostalgia; it helps to share a love of late ’80s culture and soft rock. But even if that is not your thing, it’s easy to enjoy the show’s search for cult status.
Taking on more tropes from teen movies and horror flicks than you would have thought wise, Whiteford knows his stuff. There are plenty of in-jokes about music, news, and fashion, with nods to musical theatre too. None of it is original, but the pace works, and a lot of it is very funny. Whiteford is entertaining—the kind of guy you’d like to go for a beer with.
The production, directed and choreographed by Rachel Klein, enhances the piece tremendously. The low-fi sets, designed by Emily Bestow, are to be expected but particularly fun. The costumes, so spot on, are great—well done, Juda Leah. It is with Klein’s choreography that the show takes off; taking the lead from the music, with inspiration from glam rock, MTV, and aerobics workouts, the dancing is clever and funny.
The performances are enjoyable too. Maybe a little too much care has been taken to give everyone a moment in the spotlight. The leading ladies, played by Aoife Haakenson and Ashley Goh, are suitably cute, and the former’s transformation into a She-Devil is a great giggle. Caitlin Anderson has a fantastic time as the high school villain, making use of her cheerleading pom-poms, while Sean Arkless masters his codpiece as Satan. The sillier things get, the better; take Louis Hearsey’s singing to the decapitated head of his schoolboy crush—is it “Too late” to declare his love? Erm, yes.
All the voices are strong, although the lyrics could be clearer, and if the songs are too rooted in pastiche to excite, they are carefully constructed. I Was A Teenage She-Devil is a labour of love motivated by fun, and the charm is contagious. The key is that Whiteford has convinced the cast and crew of his passion. The audience should follow.
Until 26 April 2026
Photo by Lidia Crisafulli