FRANCES BARBER IS AN UNFORGETTABLE FORCE OF NATURE IN ‘MUSIK’

By Emma Carney | Bunny Pudding · Digital Coven · @bunnyscopes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

To spend an hour in the company of Billie Trix is to be seduced, scandalised, and utterly spellbound. In MUSIK, the long-awaited return for this legendary character, Frances Barber doesn’t just play a part—she embodies a force of nature, grabbing the audience by the proverbials and refusing to let go for a wild, whiskey-soaked ride.

Billie Trix is a woman after my own heart: an icon, a rock star, and a glorious fabulist whose personal lore is dropped with the explosive power of dynamite and as sharp as a razor’s edge on a mirrored table. As she guzzles Jack Daniels and holds court, she unravels a life of spectacular excess, from post-war Berlin and Andy Warhol’s Factory to a decade famously spent in a Soho Square phone box. What’s not to love?

Barber is simply magnificent, a true master of the stage who owns every second with a swagger that is both delusional and utterly captivating. GOALS. Her comic timing is perfection, landing every lewd anecdote and dead-pan aside with the precision of a seasoned stand-up. The script by Jonathan Harvey is a masterclass in outrageous invention, packed with killer lines and name-drops so audacious they leave you howling with laughter.

The six original songs by the Pet Shop Boys provide the perfect, pulsing heartbeat to the chaos. They are fantastic, blending the duo’s signature synth-pop with Harvey’s brilliantly clunky, character-revealing lyrics. These musical interludes are more than just breaks in the story; they are sobering counterpoints that add a surprising layer of pathos to the hilarity, reminding us of the fragile human beneath the rhinestones and bravado.

Under Terry Johnson’s sharp direction, the production is a sleek, polished cabaret dream. Lee Newby’s design, complete with a bank of vintage TVs, and Jason Taylor’s lighting create a world that is part rock arena, part faded nightclub—the perfect habitat for this unforgettable diva.

MUSIK is a confection of comic brilliance, a whirlwind of filth and fame that celebrates the art of self-invention. It’s an hour of pure, unadulterated entertainment, powered by a career-defining performance from Frances Barber. Miss it at your peril.

MUSIK is running at Wilton’s Music Hall until Saturday 25 October.

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Photo Credit: Charlie Flint