An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical, is, as expected a musical offspring of the 1982 film of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Writers Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen have taken the original screenplay, and placed within the show a series of eighties classics to create what just about amounts to a musical. Following a previous UK tour back in 2018, but with a few changes, it has landed once again at Milton Keynes Theatre on its second tour.
The story
An Officer and a Gentleman, revolves around a bunch of US Navy recruits attempting to survive the pipeline and get their chance at the big flying game. Under the eyes of Sgt Emil Foley, a few survive the training and also get up close and personal with the young ladies of Pensacola, Florida, in particular here, Zack Mayo and his potential lady, Paula Pokrifki, and Sid and Lynette.
What transpires however with this book by Stewart and Cohen, alongside director Nikolai Foster, is a hugely disappointing musical version of the film. Shackled with a tremendously corny script, often woefully misogynistic, and largely over-exaggerated and inappropriate comedy, the cast battle to look both interested and, despite their obvious skills, even any good as performers.
Luke Baker as Zack and Georgia Lennon as Paula have a relationship that you struggle to care about, with little sexual chemistry coming from either their partnership, story or the direction they are given. In fact, it only really gets thrilling and emotional as a piece with that final classic film moment of Paula being swept off her feet, and because little true feeling of emotion leads to that, you wonder if you are watching the same pair.
Elsewhere, both Paul French as Sid and Sinead Long as Lynette struggle to project their passion in any believable way. Sid's character in particular, with no spoilers has such a curve in his storyline, that you desperately want to feel sad for him, but with no feeling of drama leading to that point, you simply don't care.
The rest of the cast equally battle with a script rarely giving anything back, with Jamal Kane Crawford struggling to get the balance right between a dominating Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley and the random silly and jokey moments the script gives him. Tim Rogers ploughs through very little source material as Zack's wayward father Byron Mayo gives as good as direction allows him.
Considering the obvious success of the show itself, with a full audience, you wonder if you do not see the true quality, but even moving into the music part of the show itself, you find no rise in the quality. Made up of a series of eighties classics, the song list is great, but often rarely fits within the context of the story. Also, made worse is the direction the performers are sent in for their vocal performance, virtually all songs are oversung, and many are pitchy as well, losing quality even in what is probably the best part of the show, the songs themselves.
I genuinely hate having to write poor reviews as regular readers will know, as I always try to find the best in productions as I feel the hard work of many never set out to create a poor show. However, here, I sat wondering how this show could get such a success with a second UK tour while other shows, so much better shows, battle for survival, and fail. The answer is of course all in the names. The film itself remains tremendously popular, a mystical tale of love and an officer in uniform, and a series of excellent music from artists such as Madonna, Bon Jovi, Status Quo, Heart and Kim Wilde among them. It is a little sad really that at times, the theatre has become this, but, the need for success over innovation does now breed this.
An Officer and a Gentleman however clearly thrilled many of the audience and got, at its end, a large number on their feet applauding. However, for this very weathered theatregoer, this is as far sadly from a standing ovation show that I have seen for a while.
Tremendously disappointing musical adaption of the eighties original.
⭐⭐
Performance reviewed: Monday, 21st October 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.
Production photos: Mark Brenner
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