Even the worst, least successful musicals of all time have something worth salvaging.

Well, most of them do.

Arthur Hull loves musical theatre, and is here to show us that the best songs don’t always come from the best shows. Do not expect to hear much from the likes of Hamilton, Wicked or Hadestown. Instead, be enchanted by the best songs offered up by musical disasters, or shaking your head wondering how anyone thought this was a good idea.

Some of these shows you may know as musicals. Others are ill-considered adaptations of well-known novels or films, with a couple of calamitous sequels thrown in for good measure. Hull guides us through the likes of Carrie, King Kong, Moby Dick and Broadway’s biggest financial bust Spider Man – Turn Off the Dark, showing us the best that the very worst musical theatre can bring us. In this one man show, Hull demonstrates considerable skill on the piano and with a loop pedal, as well as making use of backing tracks for some numbers. And what would a show about musical theatre be without cliché choreography, delivered with the perfect amount of chintzy enthusiasm?

Hull is a generous and amiable performer, able to find hope in the good, and humour in the bad as he shifts between the songs that deserved to be a part of something better, and those that leave us shaking our heads. He is an enthusiastic and sincere storyteller, with plenty of wit when a show or song deserves evisceration. Special derision is reserved for a few musical films, which unsurprisingly sees him donning a cat tail and ears.

At times, the energy of the show dips when there is a shift in tone, especially when the show moves from its raucous comic moments into a more heartfelt ballad. Thankfully, Hull is able to quickly bring the audience back to him with his magnificent voice and earnest delivery. His voice is truly wonderful with a soaring tenor, as well as versatility across different styles and vocal ranges.

This show is a warts-and-all love letter to musical theatre, as told by an affectionate fan of the art. Expect to laugh, learn and shake your head at Broadway’s best and worst, and maybe discover a new guilty-pleasure song.