Teeth ‘N’ Smiles | Daily Mail Online

Rebecca Lucy Taylor steps into Helen Mirren’s boots for this David Hare revival

Year: 2026

The death throes of a 1960s rock band are the subject of David Hare’s musical play, which was first staged in 1975 with none other than Helen Mirren as lead singer Maggie Frisby. Rebecca Lucy Taylor – aka the singer Self Esteem – steps into those boots for this 2026 London production, and her outlandish but ultimately soulful performance as the chaotic Maggie is the best reason to watch. 

The story is set over one night as The Skins play a set at a Cambridge ball. They’re very clearly at the end of their rope – tensions are high, Maggie is more often drunk than not and punk is right around the corner.  The play feels like a creaky rock cliché at the start, and full of terrible music. It’s in the nature of the way the story is told, though, that the best music comes in the second half, and that’s when you finally understand the promise that brought the band together in the first place. 

All told Teeth ‘N’ Smiles isn’t up there with Stereophonic, but it has way more soul than you think it does at the start. Plus, the first act closes with an actual dog running on stage. (120 minutes)