Review of I Should Be So Lucky at Milton Keynes Theatre

Even after so many years of attending theatre shows, it never ceases to amaze me how utterly varied the medium can be. Just this year on the Milton Keynes Theatre stage I have seen a ballet version of the quirky Edward Scissorhands, a truly absorbing stage version of classic thriller 12 Angry Men, and then, this week, a cheese overload in the form of I Should Be So Lucky - The Musical, and guess what, they were all totally brilliant.

I Should Be So Lucky is, an extremely loosely plotted story, based around the musical productions of Stoke Aitken Waterman and while it is not high-brow theatre, it is pure joy from beginning to end. The story, such as it is, sees Ella jilted at the altar by Nathan, and her decision to go out on her honeymoon anyway with her friends and family, all passport-ready and in tow. Nathan however, quickly has second thoughts, as his reasoning is questioned following a chat with his dementia-addled granddad. And off we go on a world of bold colours, adventures, crazy characters, and of course, a brilliant collection of retro music.

What is first obvious about the cast of I Should Be So Lucky is the unshowy nature of the casting, here we have a full ensemble of ultra-talented stage performers without the need to cast "a name" to bring the audience in. Well, except for the occasional presence of fairy godmother Kylie Minogue in pre-recorded sequences, all of which, it has to be said are excellently done and incorporated, both technically and timing.

However, the live cast is where it is at, and leading this is the least bold character of English Rose Ella, played with delightful charm by Lucie-Mae Sumner. It is true that at every turn the character of Ella is cast by the shadow of a bigger personality in this story, but upon her, the show leans and moves forward, and Sumner is excellent within the chaos that occurs around her.

From there, it is extremely difficult to mention all of the large cast in this production individually, however, they all bring something fabulous to proceedings. Among the picks is Giovanni Spano as best man Ash, a sprightly energy-filled performance full of extremely quirky moments and a master of comic physicality. Jemma Churchill is a fruity Ivy, pining for her youth and with an eye for a bit of a young gentleman. Tegan Bannister, on as cover as Bonnie, brings a nice level of emotion to the character as her own individual love emerges within the story and her solo number is gorgeous and a nice calm musical moment within the show.

The brilliant, loud proud, and utterly camp Michael is played with a huge personality by Scott Paige, stealing many of the scenes he appears within and a delightful storyline leading to one of the best musical moments. Finally, of mention from the cast is the true scene stealer, Jamie Chapman, who, briefly appears as two excellent side characters initially, and then simply takes over many a scene as hotel manager Spencer. The epitome of staying in character throughout and making the very best of every piece of material given to him. Tremendous entertainment.

As is expected of the show, the bank catalogue of Stock Aitken Waterman is totally ransacked, and while a few songs are a little ramrodded into position to make the show, the bulk of the numbers do fit very comfortably within the moment of the show in which they appear. The best of them include Respectable, You Spin Me Round (Like A Record), and with a perfect twist on the song and huge fun, Toy Boy. All of the songs are excellently performed by both the cast and the band.

The set by Tom Rogers is as bright and camp as the show, and relies greatly on the heart motif throughout, including the home of Ella and her family at 19 Heart House. Choreographer Jason Gilkison, who has worked as creative director on Strictly Come Dancing for over ten years, fills the stage with movement and keeps the ensemble busy with his inventive work, and this alongside fast-paced direction by Debbie Isitt, who has also written the show, means there is never a dull moment on stage.

I Should Be So Lucky - The Musical is pure fluff, in equal measure as good or bad as you might expect. However, it is, actually, pure entertainment from beginning to end, bringing fun, joy, and, if you like the producer's work, and why wouldn't you, glorious music as well. You should be so lucky to get a ticket soon.

With a cheese overload, I Should Be So Lucky -The Musical provides absolutely endless fun.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 5th March 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

I Should Be So Lucky - The Musical runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 9th March 2024.

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Marc Brenner

Review of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story at Birmingham Rep

Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol is a perennial favourite and over the years has been adapted countless times for television, film and here, with this adaptation by Mark Gatiss, subtitled A Ghost Story , a further stage version. Originally performed at the Nottingham Playhouse in 2022 before moving to London at the Alexandra Palace, and the same venues repeated the following year, its past success serves well for a further revival. Therefore for 2024, The Birmingham Rep has taken to staging their own production, with a mostly new cast including Matthew Cottle and Rufus Hound leading an excellent cast. Cottle as Ebenezer Scrooge is excellent, often exhibiting a much more sprightly Scrooge that we would remember, and also, much funnier at times. Despite Gatiss remaining remarkably faithful to the original, the show, directed with excellent pace by Adam Penford mines more comedy than you might expect. Cottle's Scrooge remains without question evil, but in his delivery ...

Review of The Jolly Christmas Postman at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

The Northampton Royal and Derngate have a tradition of producing a family play in the Royal Theatre alongside a spectacular pantomime in the Derngate, offering a more subtle Christmas treat for a family audience. However, this calendar staple has been missing since 2019, when the fine Pippi Longstocking graced the Royal stage and an unmentionable virus reared its head. Based on this triumphant return this year in the guise of The Jolly Christmas Postman , it has been heartily missed. Adam Peck has truly lovingly adapted The Jolly Christmas Postman for the stage from the original story by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. From the beginning, this is a proper cracker of theatre entertainment that captivates an occasionally distractable audience of all ages. The story follows the adventures of a friendly postman beset by an influx of mail on Christmas Eve and his adventures with an assortment of Fairy-Tale characters. What is, in essence, a kid's show aimed primarily at young children ...

Review of Cinderella at Castle Theatre, Wellingborough

So, as December draws in, the world of theatre moves into panto season and first up this year is Castle Theatre’s production of Cinderella , and the deja vu world begins again and we are all crying “He’s behind you” and “Oh no you’re not” etc, etc. Perhaps it is reassuring in a world of change that pantomime land never changes. The jokes might get a little nudge, a few of the characterisations might change a bit, but you all know that we will have a split theatre singalong, a grand wedding at the end and a multitude of stuff you have seen year after year. Unlike many of the bigger theatres around the country, Castle Theatre, presents a pantomime with no “big name” from the showbiz world in sight, just great little stage performers, and how refreshing it is to see. No awkward bolted-on references to a star's normal day job, just more emphasis on fun characters and the usual sly references to the local towns and villages. That, in itself, is great to see. The title character is playe...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog