Director: Craig Revel Horwood
Book: Pippa Evans
Jukebox musicals are basically an excuse for professional singers to get paid to do karaoke. Fluffy, light on plot, and filled will banger after banger. Now That’s What I Call a Musical is no exception to this rule.
A show based on the highly successful Now That’s What I Call Music albums would seem an odd choice, but it’s one that works. Simultaneously set in 1989 and 2009, Now That’s What I Call a Musical charts the life of best friends Gemma (Nikita Johal in 1989, and Nina Wadia in 2009, who both do a wonderful job selling the heart of the story) and April (Maia Hawkins in 1989 and Melissa Jacques in 2009, both of whom are mesmerising actors with amazing vocal abilities). In 1989 the pair are leaving college in Birmingham, ready to set the world alight as a nurse and Hollywood’s next big star. In 2009, Gemma is still in her hometown, unhappily married, working in the NHS and attending the 20 year school reunion, while April is MIA in America, and hasn’t been heard of in the last decade. Skipping back and forth between the two, the first half of the show establishes their friendship and the trials and tribulations of the first few post college years, before April comes crashing back into everyone’s lives to stir things up for Act 2.
It’s definitely just a very loose plot designed to move the action from musical number to musical number. While there is drama and genuinely heartfelt moments (especially that one argument in Act 2 that received the most viscera audience reaction your reviewer has seen in years), every conflict gets wrapped up quickly and succinctly within about ten minutes of it happening. And that’s perfectly OK – you don’t go into something called Now That’s What I Call a Musical expecting anything different!
In amongst the fluffy plot, the musical numbers are joyous to watch. The Sweet Dreams Are Made of This tango (what Director/Choreographer Craig Revel Horwood is famous for!) and shiny lamé madness of Video Killed the Radio Star add a level of 80s kitsch and a dreamscape unreality to a very regular and relatable plot, and that’s before you get to the Sinitta cameo! Other songs are taken more seriously however, adding pathos to the already strong acting from all four leads.
The acting from the whole cast is strong, from the background ensemble to the main cast. Gemma’s slimy husband Tim (Keiran Cooper in 1989 and Chris Grahamson in 2009) is wonderfully easy to hate, brother Frank (Luke Latchman in 1989 and Shakil Hussain in 2009) has a nerdy adorableness, and Gemma’s parents (Poppy Tierney and Christopher Glover in both years) are a refreshing look at love in the older generation. The body and gender pairing diversity in the dance numbers is also fantastic to see. The reviewed performance did have a few issues, costume malfunctions and missed marks for set lighting (although the moving spotlight operator nailed it every time), but the cast and crew managed them with aplomb (especially Cooper, whose coat wrestling got him one of the biggest cheers of the night).
If you’re looking for a good night out, listening to talented people perform the hits of the 80s (especially if you were 18 in 1989!) then you can’t really go wrong with Now That’s What I Call a Musical. More jukebox musical fluff please!
Runs until 14th September 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Fluffy fun
