REVIEWED BY ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX
EDITIED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER
StarKid fans are a cult – and one I heavily ascribe to. Few other shows live in perfect perpetuity on the internet, but The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is one high on my list. It is a triumph of accessible art. But what a joy to see one live. The challenge of putting on a beloved show is obvious: how do you do it justice? The answer for MUST was to love it even harder.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals is marketed as a comedy-horror musical. It follows Paul, the titular ‘guy who doesn’t like musicals,’ who lives in the town of Hatchetfield. A calm and quiet place, perfect for Paul until a meteor crashes into the local theatre and turns everyone else into a hive-mind of musical theatre triple threats intent on making the whole world sing and dance. It sounds like a theatre kids dream – but that’s only because you haven’t thought about the implications!
The first thing I noted as I entered the theatre was a star cloth spanning the entire back wall. The lighting, designed by Isabel Betts was inventive, bright and playful in a way that matched the show. I particularly appreciated the commitment to using colour and the innovation of using backlit shadow work to pull off abstracted deaths. Given the beauty of a star cloth, I would have loved to see it used in more distinct ways.
The lighting supported the work of set designer Ruby Kuhnell incredibly well. The space is a challenge for a full-scale musical – particularly one with over 50 students involved. Kuhnell’s design is versatile and adaptable, utilising a single desk for four discrete locations – transformed by cast transitions flipping posters and placing signifying props. In the second act a revolving curtain transformed and obscured scenes, initially to great effect but perhaps had diminishing returns when used in quick succession. This is a minor critique, however, and the set was a strength of the show overall.
I was greatly charmed by the care taken by Abigail Casey in the costume designs. The script begs the question – what would tap dancing aliens look like? Casey answers with *SPARKLES*. At the eleventh hour, a parade of musical theatre zombie jocks slide out in monogrammed varsity jackets to be back up dancers to Professor Hidgens – complete with a tin foil laden baker boy hat. When they later rip Paul’s clothes off to reveal a full body aqua sparkle jumpsuit I bounced in my seat. This sense of play was further extended through the work of Abby Bellotti in makeup and SFX design, which consisted of a lot of blue slime, liberally applied to many of the cast members in blindingly speedy makeup and costume changes. Watching blue blood splatter across the set wall was an adrenaline filled delight.
In their director’s note Wynter Dallas expresses how directing The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals was a passion project and long-standing dream. It is a commendable programming decision. It was funny, compelling and engaging, capturing a playfulness and sense of joy that is infectious to an audience. This show is Dallas’ directorial debut and given the promise here, I eagerly await the creative chaos they’ll bring to their next show. Were I to offer one ‘take it or leave it’ piece of advice to Dallas, I would encourage them to let their own directorial voice come through more strongly. The best moments of their show were realised when the cast discovered a new joke or moment, separate from the original cast recording. Starkid is glorious, but so is the team in the room with you now, and having more freedom to play would only open the show up further.
On the night I attended I really struggled with the audio mixing, particularly with the volume of the microphones in tandem with the live band onstage. I am not sure if the microphones were malfunctioning, but I was sad to miss key lines of dialogue and jokes despite sitting in the second row. This raised concerns for me for what the experience might be like for audience members less abreast of the plot.
Congratulations are in order for the full suite of performers, however. I was blown away by Tiara Pires and Thomas Galianas as Charlotte and Sam Sweetly. Working with a truly absurd storyline they bring heart, charm and undeniable stage presence. Pires’ facial expressions, expert comedic timing and vocals are impossible to pull your eyes or ears away from.
As Ted Spankofski, Justus Tsai has complete control of his body, able to flip between creepy, sleazy and intense on a dime. Jasmine Salter as Green Peace Girl is endlessly eager and does an admirable job of acting like a crazed musical fan. Sam Stevens as General MacNamara has charming comedic timing, cracking the audience up with their intense declaration that Paul “Wear a watch! Time is precious, it deserves its own tool.” I also want to shout out Chloe Sykes who played Nora Beanie (amongst many other roles) for her remarkable belt. I was blown away by one of their solo lines towards the end and wish I could have heard more of them.
Despite spending a great deal of time talking about how much he hates musicals, Archer Cannington as Paul Matthews gives a truly triple threat performance. This was a remarkable piece of casting and acting from MUST. Cannington does a formidable job of… how to say this kindly, acting like the most boring man alive – but don’t let that fool you! Cannington is wide eyed and captivating. I felt myself leaning forward in my seat at the first spark of a note from him. Right at the end there is a sequence where Cannington snaps rapidly in between what we will here call “Normal Paul” and “Theatre Paul” and it puts Cannington’s range in a literal spotlight and he truly shines.
The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals presented by MUST was a delight – truly infectious in more ways than one. I’d tell you to go see it yourself, but they are running a well-deserved sold-out return season so you’ll just need to ensure your body doesn’t get taken over by musical aliens so you can book yourself a seat to the next one.
MUST’s The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals originally played at the MUST Space 29 May – 6 June and had a second performance season 27 – 31st July.
ELLA CALLOW-SUSSEX is a theatre maker and reviewer for the Dialog. She is currently completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English/Theatre Studies and Creative Writing.
CHARLOTTE FRASER (she/her) is a writer, performer and student editor based in Melbourne. She holds a BA in English and Theatre Studies and is currently completing her Masters degree at the University of Melbourne. Charlotte is also the 2026 Dialog Editor.
The Dialog is supported by Union House Theatre
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