Review: Regency Girls Is a New Musical for the Bridgerton Crowd

Regency Girls, the new musical comedy premiering at San Diego’s Old Globe, is infectious and daffy. Focusing on women’s rights, but with a distance of two centuries, the musical gets us laughing while getting across the more serious message that less has changed in 200 years than we’d like to think. Director Josh Rhodes proves once again that he’s a true innovator with his staging and choreography.

In 19^th-century England, Elinor (Isabelle McCalla) loves her beau, Stanton (Nik Walker), and is thrilled at their engagement. It’s the perfect transition to adulthood for this Austenian heroine. But after a celebratory night with Stanton, she becomes pregnant. This was not the plan, since he has now left on a year’s journey, and single motherhood would ruin her reputation. So her maid, Dabney (Krystina Alabado), suggests an abortion.

Faster than you can say road trip, the two women—along with Elinor’s proper sister, Jane (Kate Rockwell), and their married but bored friend, Petunia (Ryann Redmond)—travel to London to (illegally) solve her delicate situation. Their expedition finds them clashing with the establishment while also finding alternatives to the sheltered life they’ve been prepared for all their lives.

The book by television writers Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden satirically comments on how slowly societal norms evolve, making us laugh as we ponder the patriarchal chokehold over women that persists today. There’s a quaintness in the sisterhood formed by the main characters. However, the profanity-filled dialogue makes it feel like the writers were trying too hard to be hip. This may dissuade parents from bringing teens who would revel in the story. The plot is tailor-made for Bridgerton fans who enjoy societal anachronisms and modern musicals like Six and Moulin Rouge!

The music by Curtis Moore and lyrics by Amanda Green are tuneful and witty. Many songs are reminiscent of Alan Menken’s work with Howard Ashman. Some are one-joke numbers like “Leave It to the Men,” “How Long (in 1810)?,” and “Jane Finds Her Tingle,” all of which should be trimmed down a bit. Some of the lyrics are bawdy fun, but some lack sophistication, such as “Got 99 Problems but My Girls Ain’t One.”

The four leads are engaging, with Broadway-caliber voices and firm command of the stage. Their bonds are clear between the characters, and the supporting cast adds fun moments, particularly Benjamin Howes as the corrupt, spineless Earl of Lenwich and Sav Souza as an amorous servant. Gabe Gibbs, in a dual role as both a supercilious fiancé and gallant thief, is hilarious; as the masked Galloping Dick, he moves with the agility of Douglas Fairbanks. Janine LaManna steals the show as both the haughty noblewoman on a warpath to destroy Elinor, and as the earth mother Madame Restell, a role that gives LaManna the chance to shatter the roof with her voice.

Rhodes conjures up several clever set pieces, including a chase of two carriages for the Act 1 finale, and a Moulin Rouge!-inspired ball scene in Act 2. His choreography creates a clash of 16^th-century gavotte and modern sensuality.

David I. Reynoso’s costumes are playful riffs on Regency-era empire silhouettes. Anna Louizos’s set re-creates the vastness and grandeur of 19^th-century English architecture. Many of the locations are hinted at with projections that made scene changes seamless and quick.

There are tweaks to be made to Regency Girls before it makes a leap to Broadway, some tightening up of numbers particularly, but the book and score’s sentiments are genuine, the spirit is enchanting, and the cast is delightful.