Chapter 3: Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden
A delightful gay YA rom-com filled with sharp humour and heartwarming tenderness set against the sequin-filled world of community theatre.
When I say musicals are life-changing, it’s not an exaggeration.
In 2015, in a move entirely out of my comfort zone, I agreed to go to a community theatre audition with a colleague.
Any enthusiasm was definitely a case of ‘ignorance is bliss’ because I had no idea how tight-knit our local performing arts circle is.
Being an outsider was overwhelming (and, quite frankly, terrifying) until some theatre kids befriended me – one of them was Caitlin, now one of my dearest friends and podcast partner-in-crime. We also write together
.So I felt every bit of Noah’s anxiety and embarrassment of being the new kid on the block in Tobias Madden’s delightful second YA novel.
Given Madden’s history as a performer, it’s hardly surprising that he’s got the world of community theatre painfully accurate in Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell.
In this, we meet Noah: a 17-year-old who’s been ostracised at school and found solace in gaming. He’s also found a crush: his only friend and virtual gayming partner, MagePants69.
Although they’ve worked out they live in the same regional town, their real identities remain secret (much to Noah’s disappointment).
That is until MagePants69 lets slip something that leads Noah to believe his gamer bestie may be rehearsing for the community theatre production of Chicago – the same musical his mum has a starring role in.
And, because it’s always harder to find young men to play ensemble roles, Noah gives into his mum’s pleas for him to join the production.
So now he has to try to make his secret crush fall in love with him. And the deeper he goes, the tricker it becomes to untangle the truth from his fiction.
Noah joining the cast also bring him closer to his mum, which highlights some serious cracks in both their relationship and his parent’s marriage.
There is so, so much to love about this book. The curiosity of someone discovering musical theatre, the joy of someone exploring their passion, the absolute cringe of first dates, first kisses, and first touches.
(On that note, I have no idea what it’s like for a gay teen the first time, but the anxiety and overthinking certainly felt authentic.)
I loved watching Noah grow in confidence as his relationships with everyone, not just his crush, slowly evolved. It bought back so many memories of the awkwardness I felt heading into those first rehearsals and made me grateful again for the friendships I found there.
Madden has a knack for writing books that are genuinely funny and filled to the brim with emotion, too. I was enthralled from the first page, head over heels in love with Noah despite some of his infuriating choices – but that’s the utter magic I chase in any contemporary novel.
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell is a showstopping gem. A tender and heartwarming queer rom-com with just a touch of excruciating authenticity. I didn’t want the curtain to fall!
Tobias Madden is a much-loved Better Words guest. He spoke about Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell in our recent Re-Read season, but I also recommend going back to our in-depth chat around the release of his debut, Anything But Fine (which you should totally also read)
This is probably an out-of-field recommendation on a review about a queer YA rom-com, but the community theatre/small-town vibes are something I loved about The Appeal by Janice Hallet. It’s an intriguing crime novel told through found documents.
Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell was the first book I’ve read with a gamer character where the game is a crucial part of the storyline. For a similarly fun YA gamer rom-com, check out Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong.
Of course, watching Chicago is a must.