Rachel Klein & Aoife Haakenson: I Was A Teenage She-Devil

I Was A Teenage She-Devil, the new comedy-horror rock musical, is coming from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival straight to the West End.

A relevant musical with important topics like bullying and finding your own identity, this new rock musical is a love letter to love and to the '80s. The story follows Nancy, who has been bullied at school and sells her soul to Satan. Who is going to save her?

I sat down with Rachel Klein, the director and choreographer of the show, and Aoife Haakson, who’s going to step into the role of Nancy.

Read or listen to the full interview here:

Q: Could you tell us a bit more about who you are and the role you’re playing in the show?

RK: My name is Rachel Klein, and I’m the director and choreographer. I have been working on this piece; it has been in development for the last seven years.

AH: My name is Aoife, and I’m playing Nancy in I Was a Teenage She-Devil.

Q: Last year, the show was at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and now it’s transferring to London. What is the process like?

RK: The process has been a whirlwind. We were, of course, hoping that we would transfer to London. That was one of our primary goals at Fringe, and I’m very fortunate that we got some fantastic reviews, and we sold out the place, and then we were able to make the move. Once we knew it was happening, it then happened all very quickly. So there was a lot of extra prep time, and we looked at the things we loved at Fringe and the things we wanted to rework, which is a really great opportunity to rebuild parts of the show.

Q: What is the biggest visual or technical upgrade that the London audience can expect?

RK: I think it’s our set. We have an incredible set; our set designer, Emily Bestow, is fabulous and has taken a small stage and made it look epic, letting it feel authentically like the 1980s.

AH: Yes, I think it’s the set.

Q: Could you tell us a bit more about the show? What is the story about?

RK: It is just a love letter to the 1980s. It’s all original music written by our lyricist/composer, Sean Matthew Whiteford. So, although it’s all original, it sounds authentic from the '80s. The story is a commentary on bullying, on self-agency and being who you are, and on saving the world by doubling down on your own personal truth, but it is a ton of fun in addition to all the important parts.

AH: So, it is an '80s rock, dark, comedy horror, and it’s about Nancy Nelson and her best friend Debby, and they get bullied at school. Nancy ends up selling her soul to Satan, transforming from this lovable geek into this bodacious, badass she-devil. But there is a lovely love story through-line as well that kind of grounds it alongside that crazy and epic rock score.

Q: How do you mix those themes together? The important message and the fun?

RK: I think on my end, a lot of it is casting. We found such an incredible ensemble of actors that really are able to meet that balance. So it’s big and zany, expressive and sometimes cartoonish, sometimes music video-esque when it needs to be, and then the heart sneaks up on you. And when it does, they are able to layer a beautiful sincerity and such nuance to the performances that it is able to give you both in a sort of seamless flow.

AH: The writing is also a real gift as an actor to be able to perform through the songs as well as through the written scenes. It’s all just there, all the layering of something serious, and when something really heartfelt is happening, then it’s like really funny. The whole piece is a rollercoaster.

Q: Do you have a favourite moment in the show, or like a favourite song?

AH: Oh, this is changing every time. When I was just learning the show, I just joined it for this London edition. I loved the song "She-Devil". That was my favourite one to sing. And I think now, there is a song called "Smoking Hot", which is Nancy’s second big entrance number. It’s really challenging, but I like that it’s challenging. It’s one of the reasons that I started to really enjoy it. Everyone is on stage together, and the way the whole piece is coming together, the costumes and the hair, it’s there now.

RK: She might say it’s challenging, but when she’s on stage, you would never know that. She makes it look so effortless. It’s a huge choreography number at her end as well as a huge belting number, and she comes alive like, "I’m here, I’m a rock star."

Q: What do you hope the audience will take away after seeing the show?

RK: I hope that they leave with a giant grin on their face. It’s such a fun show, and again, it’s heartfelt, and the love story at the centre of it is incredibly important for our time. I just want people to walk out thinking that was a feel-good musical in the right way. There are moments of darkness in it, there are moments of exploding body parts, and there are so many things layered in. But I want the message at the end of the day to just be like, "I had a great time, and I’m in love with love, and I’m in love with life, and I’m in love with the 1980s."

Q: If you could describe the show in one word or movement, what would it be?

RK: I would say "electric.” It’s a hard show to sing and a hard show to dance. I would agree with Aoife; it’s jaw-dropping. To see the talent of the performers and the designers, our lighting designers, Juda Leah and Adam King, the visuals on this show are incredible. I’m so pleased. You never know what the outcome is going to be. But when I saw the lights and the set coming together, it was crazy. It’s really quite spectacular. And being whipped together in such a short amount of time, the team is extra dedicated, and that is also a testament to what Aoife was saying about the writing. This show is such a unicorn that it is bringing out this desire in people to give it their all and make it as spectacular as they possibly can.

AH: I have two. One of mine is "raunchy", and my second one is "jaw-dropping". There are so many moments where either something is happening or the sounds that are coming out of people's voices are jaw-dropping—even for me when I’m on stage. The costumes, the designers... the number one reason, besides doing my job, is because of the people. Just seeing, as a newcomer coming in at this point, all the Fringe original cast coming back because they just loved this show, I could just tell they are so happy to be able to do it again, and that kind of passionate environment is so contagious. It just makes the work better because it’s just a great show, and that’s why they love it.

I’m a teenage She-Devil is playing at the studio of The Other Palace until 26th April.

More information about the show can be found on their website.