REVIEW: A SERIES OF INTRODUCTORY LECTURES ON PSYCHOANALYSIS – THE MUSICAL Camden Fringe, at King’s Head Theatre 20 – 24 August

 “Sometimes people make you rearrange who you are.” ★★★★★

Socially awkward medical student Fran discovers Freud at the same time as she meets her first love, Anna. She uses his lectures to navigate her relationships with her Uni friends and embark on her first serious romance, but what starts as her salvation begins to hinder and sour her perspective, endangering all the relationships she’s built. In moments of emotional crisis Fran’s subconscious manifests Freud, in various guise (from lingerie to lederhosen) to advise her and we’re treated to many delightfully funny musical interludes, featuring the pillars of Freudian psychoanalysis theory applied to Fran’s life. 

The cast are charismatic and have staggeringly beautiful voices, the songs are impressively constructed and the lyrics are relatable, heartfelt and funny. You can feel the influence of Sondheim and Jonathan Larson through the incorporation of everyday speech and the way each song is tailored to the personality of the character singing. 

The use of stylized Brechtian theatre techniques in the staging, such as having titles projected onto a white screen at the back of the stage, add to the whimsical nature of the play and the stripped back set of black boxes labelled “sofa”, “table”, “tree” and “a different tree” takes away the flashier elements of a traditional musical, but in a refreshing and humorous way that keeps the focus on the performances and music.

This is not just a musical about discovering yourself through imaginary conversations with a female bearded Freud with a duck call whistle, it’s also an uplifting tale of first love, the bonds of friendship, seeing the good in humanity in spite of our flaws and learning to forgive our messy complexities. “A Series of Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis” is a joyful and life-affirming musical that I hope has a glowing future. If anyone has any sense, it will get a West End transfer.

A SERIES OF INTRODUCTORY LECTURES ON PSYCHOANALYSIS – THE MUSICAL by Alex Rawnsley, Camden Fringe, at King’s Head Theatre 20 – 24 August

Presented by Musketeer Productions

Box office: https://camdenfringe.com/events/a-series-of-introductory-lectures-on-psychoanalysis-the-musical/

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Annie Power is the Artistic Director of Open Page Productions, and an award-winning writer and producer.