We Are The Tigers is a pop-rock horror-comedy which combines the emotional angst of a group of teenage cheerleaders with the scare of a lurking slasher. Think Mean Girls meets High School Musical meets Scream.

Featuring music, book and lyrics by Max Preston Allen, the show premiered in Los Angeles in 2015 then had an off-Broadway season in 2019.

Caitlin McCallig, Olivia Vásquez, AJ Betts, Brianna Bishop and Anabel Jamieson in We Are The Tigers. Photo © Jessie Jay Photography

The Tigers are the cheerleading squad at Giles Corey High. This year, their annual sleepover is taking place in the comfortable basement at the home of their new captain Riley.

In Act One, Allen introduces the characters. Riley (Brianna Bishop) is ambitious, hyper-enthusiastic and determined to motivate the team so they rise above their ‘loser’ status. Her bestie Cairo (Olivia Vásquez) is there to support (and needle) her. There’s Chess (Chelsea Dawson) who is addicted to painkillers after an injury put paid to her potential as an Olympic gymnast, her friend Kate (AJ Betts) who dreads Chess moving away to go to college, wide-eyed freshman Mattie (Jenny Guigayoma) and Reese (Caitlin McCallig), who longs to be on the team but has only made it as the mascot because of her weight.

Arriving late are Annleigh (Anabel Jamieson) a good Christian girl who won’t succumb to the desires of her boyfriend Clark (Pippin Carroll) until they are married, and her troubled step-sister Farrah (Artemis Alfonzetti) who is drunk.

After the pizza is delivered by Eva Sanchez (Millie Seeto), the star cheerleader of a rival team, the party goes awry when a serial killer starts bumping them off. In an unconvincing plot twist, Cairo persuades Riley not to call the police in case they are blamed for the murders. Instead, they decide to frame Mattie, who is drunk as the result of a game of truth or dare.

The company of We Are The Tigers. Photo © Jessie Jay Photography

Despite exuberant performances, Act I feels somewhat laboured. The characters are mostly stereotypical and the songs all feel pretty samey. Things improve in Act Two. There is more musical diversity – the act starts with a clever song by Mattie who is locked up in juvenile detention – and the themes are explored in slightly more depth, with the show addressing teenage peer pressure, relationships, rivalries, body shaming, vulnerability and inner angst. And, of course, you find out whodunit.

We Are The Tigers feels unfocused and somewhat diluted as a musical, and rarely lands an emotional punch, but you can’t fault this production. Chiara Assetta makes an impressive directorial debut. She has gathered a strong cast and creative team, and keeps the action moving efficiently. She builds the moments where she can in entertaining fashion, while her lively choreography also hits the spot.

The naturalistic set by Alice Vance is deftly designed, showing the various parts of the house, inside and out, including a toilet and shower (where a Psycho-like murder inevitably occurs). The back of the kitchen bench is a TV screen on which we see the victims being attacked. Lily Mateljan’s costumes help differentiate the characters, and the band rocks under Kimberly Gilbert.

The cast is strong across the board, with Brianna Bishop giving a dynamic,  febrile performance as Riley that anchors the show, while Caitlin McCallig is touching as Reese. But all the performers play their part and the powerful singing raises the roof at the times.

The show itself may not dig deep but the up-beat, energetic production makes the most of the material.

We Are The Tigers plays at the Hayes Theatre, Potts Point, Sydney until 8 November.