It’s a drag king, NSYNC-themed Christmas musical, and it’s amazing. From the pitch-perfect performances of its all-singing, all-dancing, all-female/non-binary cast, to the deft, eight-part, close-harmony singing, to the toe-curling, nineties boy band choreography (Lili Fuller), it’s a Christmas extravaganza.

Following a phenomenal Edinburgh fringe run, this new musical by Valen Shore and Alison Zatta has landed at the Seven Dials Playhouse at the perfect moment: ‘tis the season for nostalgia. It’s 2009, and NSYNC’s founder, countertenor Chris Kirkpatrick (Valen Shore), is pining for an NSYNC comeback following a seven-year “hiatus”. But Joey (Elizabeth Ho), Lance (Riley Rose Critchlow) and JC (Mia-Carina Mollicone) all seem to have moved on — and Justin (Nicole Wyland) won’t return his calls. It will take a Christmas miracle, granted by a zany angel with a direct line to God (Alison Zatta) to get Chris to re-evaluate his life and his choices. It is this odyssey of self-discovery through the band’s backstory that comprises the one-hour traffic of our stage, and what an odyssey it is.

With a peppy score (Shore), plus brilliant book and lyrics (Shore and Zatta), it’s easy for us (even NSYNC outsiders) to get swiftly immersed in the story. This is admittedly a very self-aware show: the preposterousness of nineties stardom is perfectly satirised. And yet, at the same time, the story of Kirkpatrick’s dashed dreams works its ridiculous magic on us. As we confront the reality of Chris’ star being eclipsed by Justin’s, we wind up feeling a pang of recognition. Behind all the kitsch, there lingers a glimmer of truth.

This is a show for anyone that has ever felt like an underdog, a failure, or an imposter of some kind. Or anyone that could do with a good laugh. So do yourself a favour, buy a ticket, and breakdance the pain away.

Playing at the Seven Dials Playhouse, 1 – 30 December 2023.