If the Spice Girls and Westlife had formed a supergroup, developed an inflated sense of their own importance and embarked on a farewell tour nobody entirely believed was their farewell tour, the result might look something like FUCCBOIS: Live in Concert.
Created by Bridie Connell, this fun, sharply observed and wonderfully tongue-in-cheek musical comedy introduces the biggest boyband in the world: Brandon (Connell), Brendan (Vidya Makan), Also Brendan (Clara Harrison) and Tyler (Megan Walshe). The group has the songs, the swagger, the moves and, naturally, an exceptionally high opinion of itself.
From the outset, the commitment to the concert concept is what makes the show work. For 70 minutes, the audience becomes a group of adoring fans attending the final night of a farewell tour. Every smoulder, pose and knowing look is delivered as though the Fuccbois are playing to a packed arena rather than the intimate Soho Theatre.
The audience is very much part of the performance. Cleverly placed “Will You Marry Me?” posters amongst the crowd immediately help sell the illusion, while the interaction continues throughout with all the familiar rituals of a pop concert. At one point, phone torches illuminate the theatre as the audience is encouraged to sing “this is what a feminist looks like”, immediately followed by the brilliantly contradictory instruction to “give me a smile”. The audience is in stitches.
Behind the boyband posturing, Connell’s writing takes a witty swipe at modern masculinity and dating culture. Ghosting, gaslighting, performative feminism and male entitlement all find their way into catchy pop songs and excellent one-liners. “Am I a problem or am I a legend?” during a section on hegemonic masculinity was one of my favourite lines of the night. The cleverness is in making these observations without ever allowing the show to become preachy.
The songs are far more than vehicles for the jokes. Gaslight Shanty is one of the night’s musical and comic highlights, turning toxic dating behaviour into a brilliantly conceived number, with Makan’s Brendan particularly shining. With musical theatre credits including Hamilton and SIX, Makan has serious vocal ability, and here both the voice and comedy are given room to land.
DM Slide is another highlight, taking something instantly recognisable from modern dating and giving it the full Fuccbois treatment. It is this ability to take familiar behaviours – sliding into someone’s DMs, gaslighting and ghosting – and transform them into tongue-in-cheek pop songs that makes Connell’s writing so effective.
Later, You Can Be a Fuccboi Just Like Me provides one of the strongest musical moments of the evening. The harmonies are some of the best of the night and really show off the group’s singing capabilities. Also Brandon’s amazing voice and falsetto trills make him the singing voice of the night. For all the comedy, there is considerable musical talent on that stage – and more than a few of the songs are dangerously catchy.
The strength of FUCCBOIS is also that each member develops a personality of their own. Connell’s Brandon combines swagger with excellent comic timing, although Connell’s biggest achievement is arguably the writing itself. As creator, composer and lyricist, she has created a show where the comedy and music work equally well together.
Clara Harrison’s Also Brendan embraces the physical comedy and heightened boyband mannerisms, while Megan Walshe’s Tyler brings infectious energy and swagger. Together, the four have fantastic chemistry and commit completely to their boyband alter egos.
Jamie Winbank’s choreography has enormous fun with every boyband cliché in the book: synchronised moves, dramatic air grabs, thrusting and some hilariously enthusiastic air-humping. It is knowingly overplayed but impressively precise, with the performers’ absolute commitment making it even funnier.
Blazey Best’s increasingly exasperated manager Micaela provides the perfect counterweight to all that unchecked confidence. Her eventual meltdown and departure is one of the funniest sequences of the evening. Once she is gone, the world’s biggest boyband suddenly appears considerably less capable, reduced to helplessly asking, “Can somebody help us with the lights and sound?”
Just when it appears that the farewell concert really is over, the Fuccbois have one final trick up their perfectly coordinated sleeves. They don’t do encores. Instead, they announce that they’re going solo… together.
And so begins the comeback.
Appearing in white, the group launches into ‘The World Was Built’ by Fuccbois and The Boys Are Back, a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek parody of the inevitable reunion tour. “Don’t pretend you don’t care” perfectly captures the group’s magnificent self-belief. They’re irresistible, they’re powerful and, in their minds at least, nobody can live without them.
Richard Carroll’s direction keeps the show moving at concert pace, while the combination of Connell’s writing, Winbank’s choreography and a cast completely committed to their characters creates something that is as musically accomplished as it is funny.
The final announcement that the boys will be outside for photographs comes with one last warning: “No touching.”
It’s a perfectly cheeky final wink from a show that had the audience laughing throughout.
FUCCBOIS: Live in Concert is clever, catchy, brilliantly performed and enormous fun. It sends up boybands, modern dating and masculinity while never forgetting its most important job: entertaining the audience.
The group may claim this is the end, but like every great boyband comeback, the Fuccbois leave audiences wanting more.
Review by Joanna Birch
From ARIA award-winning writer Bridie Connell comes FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT, a high-energy, laugh-out-loud comedy concert that skewers modern dating culture through the irresistible lens of a chart-topping boyband.
Part parody, part pop spectacle and entirely unapologetic, FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT invites audiences into the world of the planet’s biggest boyband – a group who’ve sold more tickets and broken more hearts than anyone else. But now, with their frosted tips on the line, the Fuccbois are calling it quits. This is their final concert. Expect chaos, nostalgia, pitch-perfect satire and, above all, absolute bangers.
Blending razor-sharp comedy with infectious original music, the show takes aim at ghosting, fame, fandom and the absurdities of toxic dating culture. Whether you come for the laughs, the throwback boyband energy, or the cathartic release, one thing is certain: this is no ordinary theatre experience. Is it a show or a party? Hard to say.
Cast: Bridie Connell, Vidya Makan, Megan Walshe, Clara Harrison
Writer/Composer – Bridie Connell
Director – Richard Carroll
Music Producer – David Muratore
Choreographer – Jamie Winbank
Producer – Jo Dyer
Associate Producer – Izzy Williams
FUCCBOIS: LIVE IN CONCERT
Soho Theatre Dean Street
2 to 5 September 2026
