This blog post was written for East Midlands Theatre.
Prepare to be transported back to the 80s, with this fun-filled, all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza, which features pop songs first made popular thanks to the “Now that’s what I call music!” compilation tapes. The compilation album celebrated its 40th anniversary last November, and to celebrate, this musical brings back some hits from the archives to tell a story of love, friendship and what it means to grow up.
It begins in 2009, where siblings Gemma (Nina Wadia) and Frank (Shakil Hussain) attend a school reunion in The Palace pub. Lots of well-trodden but still amusing tropes are included here, with various characters commenting on how others have aged, and inevitably comparing themselves; some showing off, others getting jealous at their classmates’ accolades. Gemma is hoping that her childhood best friend April (Melissa Jacques) will turn up, as they have lost touch in their later years. Flashbacks to 1989 help to explain their friendship, with songs such as “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” adding some excitement to proceedings, as actresses Nikita Johal and Maia Hawkins take on the roles of the younger Gemma and April respectively.
We also get introduced to a Younger Frank (Luke Latchman), who falls hopelessly in love with April, but is incredibly awkward whenever she is around. Again, the jokes here are nothing new, but are still very enjoyable, and well-acted by Latchman. In fact, Latchman, Johal and Hawkins are all excellent as younger versions of the characters, providing superb vocals (Hawkins in particular delivering a stellar performance of “Everybody wants to rule the world”) and telling a nuanced tale of teenagers as they leave school and face difficult decisions about what they want to do with their lives. These scenes of teenage angst are intercut with scenes from 2009 in a way that helps the audience to connect the dots. A scene in 1989 which sees Gemma dreaming of a big family with lots of children is immediately followed by 40-year old Gemma explaining to old school friends that she is unable to conceive. It is in these more sobering moments, as we see 20 years of life condensed into mere minutes, that this show truly shines.
The second act ditches the flashbacks to focus on the adult characters. This is a shame, as the talented younger cast mostly disappear, apart from brief cameos in the background during some songs. Thankfully, the older cast more than hold their own, with Wadia and Jacques giving an excellent rendition of “Sisters are doing it for themselves”, whilst Hussain delivers a superb version of “Sweet Dreams”. Although the plot, which is wafer thin throughout, feels like it stalls a little without the support of intermediate flashbacks, just when things seem to slow down, emerging from the smoke clad only in palm leaves comes 80s superstar Sinitta, with some words of advice for Gemma and a performance of her hit song “So Macho”. The guest appearance is as shoehorned as expected, and feels like a weird fever dream, especially as Sinitta reverses off the stage at the end with waves to the audience, like we’ve just had a visitation from some sort of angel.
The set (Tom Rogers) is incredibly impressive, if a little too over-complicated, with the main setting of The Palace pub transforming again and again into alternative sets for different scenes. The bar turns round to reveal kitchen cupboards and an oven, helping create Gemma’s family home. A bed slides out of the fireplace, and then the entire back wall opens up to reveal a VHS rental shop. Very clever, and a visual treat, although there were a few mishaps with various pieces of furniture being wheeled into walls at points as the cast tried to manoeuvre them offstage.
The entire thing is directed and choreographed by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, so the dance numbers are big and exciting as can be expected, expertly weaved into the narrative. Sprinkles of sci-fi are thrown in for “Video killed the radio star”, and American high school teenagers perform a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek version of “Hey Mickey”. The ensemble are very strong throughout, and consist of a range of body types and ages, a nice change from the usual musical ensembles and feeling very representative of a huge cross-section of society.
Overall, this musical is a joy. The plot doesn’t offer anything new or in-depth, but if you want to relive 80s nostalgia, switch your brain off for a few hours and enjoy the music, then this will be right up your street. An excellent cast, superb direction and a lot of fun indeed.
Tom Morley, September 2024
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