NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A MUSICAL, EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★
There have been more than a few Eighties’ jukebox musicals over the years, most were fun, if instantly forgettable, and many had a story that was nothing more than an excuse to give a host of golden oldies a nostalgic airing, and so it is with Now That’s What I Call A Musical – a title derived from the long-running compilation collection launched in 1983 and still going strong today.
The tale of best pals Gemma and April, the action of Now That’s What I Call A Musical unfolds in flashback across two time periods; Birmingham 1989, where we find the teenagers planning their futures – six children and a job in nursing for Gemma, life in Hollywood as a star of the big screen for April – and Birmingham 2009, where the Class of ’89 are gathering for their 20 year reunion.
Pippa Evans’ book is a clunky, generic affair in which teenage dreams predictably give way to middle-age angst and unfulfilled ambition, tenuously shoehorning in hit along the way.
Even with a hard-working cast, a few stand out performances and a special guest star in the form of the ever ebullient Toyah Willcox, Craig Revel Horwood’s direction makes for a sluggish production. Consequently, much of the evening is a fairly flat affair, apart from the random dance routines that crop up to cover scene changes and travel between time zones.
Leading the company as the older Gemma and April are EastEnders’ favourite Nina Wadia and X Factor winner Sam Bailey, they’re well supported by their character’s teenage incarnations; Nikita Johal’s Younger Gemma boasts a strong vocal range and is nicely energised, while Maia Hawkins, making her professional debut as Younger April, is a feisty, likeable worldly creation.
It’s not until the second act that things get a lift with the arrival of Sam Bailey, who injects a much welcome degree of energy and warmth into proceedings as the older, world-wise Gemma. Bailey owns her time on stage and is a joy to watch. She also has quite the best voice in the show.
Good shifts are also put in by Phil Sealey, as Steve, and Callum Tempest, as Barney. Both bring some great physical comedy to the stage. Elsewhere, if the odd accent finds its way to Birmingham via South Africa and the ‘Dirty Dancing’ lift proves more of nose-dive, the miraculous arrival of Willcox midway through Act II lifts the show up a gear and is greeted with cheers of delight from the audience before evoking an impromptu clap-along to her 1981 hit, I Want To Be Free. Along with a rendition of her breakthrough hit, It’s A Mystery, in the finale, Willcox injects a shot of authentic Eighties’ vibrancy to the show.
Peppered with chart-toppers, and snatches thereof, the main problem with this musical is that it’s basically a night of glorified karaoke. If ever a show screamed out to be a singalong, this is it; from the moment The Buggles’ Video Killed The Radio Star ups the ante early on, the audience is itching to join in, an instinct thwarted by pre-show announcements requesting them to refrain from doing so, despite mixed messaging from the cast who actively appear to encourage it. Finally, to come to Scotland and perform The Proclaimers (I’m Gonna Best) 500 Miles without allowing the ‘Da Da La Da Da’ chorus call back is surely some sort of sin.
Tickets here.
Tour dates and tickets here.
