REVIEW - NOW That's What I Call A Musical is carefree, fun and nostalgic, filling the theatre with happiness!

On Tuesday, we were invited to the Manchester Opera House to see NOW That's What I Call A Musical. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this fun, feel good musical...

How do you celebrate 40 years of music?  40 years of the chart-topping compilation ‘Now That’s What I call Music’ albums?  You create a brand spanking new musical of course!  I am old enough to have watched these albums start out as cassette tapes, grow into CD’s and now rejoice in the streaming world, not once slowing down to catch their breath or divert away from the joyful aim of celebrating music.  NOW That’s What I Call A Musical captures the spirit of these iconic albums allowing the joy of live performance to be gifted to all.  I know many sneer at a jukebox musical but I have always welcomed them with open arms, not as a replacement to other forms of theatre, but as an addition.  They have a place in the theatre world for they have an audience.  NOW That’s What I Call A Musical has brought together an audience who love all things 80s, and with hit songs such as Gold, Girl’s Just Wanna Have Fun, St Elmo’s Fire, and Tainted Love, plus the promise of an actual Bonafide 80’s singing icon at each stop on the tour from Sinitta, Carol Decker, Toyah Wilcox or Sonia, it is the best way to blow away the cobwebs and inject some guaranteed joy into your world.  Tonight, we were given the bubbly gift of Sonia alongside this already incredibly talented cast who worked their socks off to ensure a night to remember. 

So, what is this celebratory show all about?  ‘School Reunion’ – two words that can fill a person with dread and delight as the curious urge to revisit our past is both intoxicating and insufferable in equal measures.  Life may be carefree for best friends Gemma and April in their 1989 youthful years, where music, magazine quizzes and planning the perfect future are at the forefront of their teenage minds, but how will they feel twenty years later when life has dealt them a somewhat different hand?  Faced with revisiting those blissful years that now appear more rose tinted than truthful, their 2009 school reunion ensures that old friends reunite, and old flames reignite as chaos and drama fill the night!  NOW That’s What I Call A Musical is a love letter to all things 80’s.  Told through the nostalgic tale of two dreamers, it explores how misplaced pride can change the course of one’s life, and how true friendship will overcome all obstacles.  As we flit between 1989 and 2009, we start to realise that growing up isn’t something reserved solely for the young, and that even as adults we can learn to forgive and flourish in our friendships with each other, and with ourselves.

Pippa Evans has penned a show that is fun, frothy, and flirts with nostalgia unapologetically, making it a light-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable night out.  Choreographed and directed by Craig Revel Horwood it stays beautifully faithful to the 80’s moves we all know and love, whilst equally receiving a musical theatre glow up, making it virtually impossible for the audience to be passive.  Instead, you can’t help but give it some serious seat shimmying, and shoulder shaking as you are dying to jump up and join in the party.  Each musical number stands on its own two ‘doc martins’ or ‘Air Jordan’ feet, creating music video vibes of the decade that made them popular thanks to MTV.

Nina Wadia (Goodness Gracious Me, Eastenders) is beautifully cast as Gemma, expertly guiding us through the story with her exemplary acting skills.  Her raw emotions are palpable as she looks back on her wedding day and desperately tries to keep herself from making a huge mistake.  This may be a light jukebox musical but the strength of acting from Nina Wadia was anything but.  There are many moments where she speaks a thousand words through silence.  It was a privilege to watch.  Then, she does a 360 and gives us the best drunk performance I have ever seen.  Seeing Nina Wadia drunk sing is everything I never knew I needed tonight!  It was hilarious.  Sam Bailey (X Factor winner, Chicago) wows us as April with her powerhouse vocals, re-imagining these classic songs into more than you ever dreamed possible, and when she cranks up the heat with Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves, she brings the house down!  It is a wonderful partnership and Sam Bailey brought a wicked sense of humour and strength to her character that many of us could relate to.

Nikita Johal (Spring Awakening, The Snow Queen) as younger Gemma and Maia Hawkins (professional debut) as younger April are a dynamic duo not to be messed with.  They are a force of nature who perfectly represent the fun in this show, and the future of musical theatre with their talent.  Their vocals are mesmerising and breathe new life into songs you didn’t even realise needed it!  Fierce from the moment they strut onto stage, giving us Heathers vibes, they represent the power to be had in female friendships.  Poppy Tierney as Gemma’s Mum and Phil Sealey as Dad gave the show grounding, that safe place we can always go back to where everything will be ok.  Their 80’s jokes and jibes were plentiful and hit home with the audience every time.  From the Walls Sausages advert (and if you didn’t just repeat that in a dog voice then you most likely weren’t born in the 80’s) to jokes about how rubbish the yoyo’s were, as they spun down once and never came back up!  

Chris Grahamson as Gemma’s husband Tim had the audience in the palm of his hand as the rogue villain of the piece.  He created an electric relationship with everyone in the theatre who loved to hate his devious 1980’s misogynistic demeanour, ironically making him one of the most popular characters.  His comedic timing was brilliant, and he played up the fact that even he knew how vile his character was.  In fact, Callum Tempest as Barney, Matthew Mori as Steve, and Shakil Hussain as Frank each brought their own brand of brilliant comedy too, creating hilarious characters that could quite easily have their own sit com!  Their younger counterparts of Kieran Cooper as younger Tim, Luke Latchman as younger Frank, and Blake Tuke as younger Steve created the best kind of youthful chaos too, adding to the beautiful heart of this show.  And of course, not forgetting our 80’s icon, Sonia, who appeared as every pop idol in a story full of cheese and feel good should – as a dream like angel to guide the way!  It was an incredible moment to watch her perform live, and it was the cherry on the top of a delicious sugary ice cream sundae of a show!  Sonia was still just every bit as bubbly as I remember her as a young child. 

In a musical that transports us from Birmingham to LA, from weddings to reunions and even time travels across decades, expect everything in excess!  Giggle as you recognise 80s adverts, jingles, phrases, and of course the fashion!  If you weren’t around in the 80s don’t worry, because this show will get you up to speed real quick!  The more glitter, sequins, songs and dance moves, the better!  There may be some cheesy moments where you feel a definite set up of a shoehorned line leading us into the next song, and yes there is an argument that this could be improved upon so it provides a more authentic and honest story flow, but it also had a kind of charm to it that once embraced, you laughed with, and not at.  If anything, I’d say that the show purposefully leans into this vibe and rolls with it.  NOW That’s What I Call A Musical is most definitely an experience that you take as you find.  Anyone trying to shoehorn the show into their own preconceived expectations of what a musical should be, will get left behind.  Because this musical is all about its songs, a decade of pop, new romantics, R&B, soft rock and theatrics, so I for one didn’t care how they were delivered, I was just blown away by the talent when they were!

This incredibly hard working ensemble were so full of energy and excitement, it was infectious.  Singing, dancing, scenery movers, you name it – they did it!  They even made a dance out of changing the set, a difficult task as there are plenty!  However, whether it was dancing an impressively tight and slick cheerleading song to Hey Mickey or doing the tango, this cast nailed it.  A favourite moment in the show had to be the scene when Gemma and Tim first meet, kicking off an ensemble piece to Flashdance with a few other pop song motifs thrown in there too, along with their counterpart dance moves.  It gave us everything from the recognisable Flashdance runs and poses, to Thriller moves, the Dirty Dancing life, and even some MC Hammer moves!  NOW That’s What I Call A Musical may not be the grandest of musical theatre shows, but neither does it pretend to be.  The clue really is in the title with this one.  As a jukebox musical it already faces stigma as a weakened form of musical theatre, but luckily, it’s not the genre that decides a musicals success, it’s the cast, creatives and most importantly, the enjoyment of the mass audience.  Tonight’s audience went wild for this new musical because it brought joy.

NOW That’s What I Call A Musical is carefree, fun and nostalgic, and with the best soundtrack from the 80’s filling the theatre with happiness, I can do nothing but recommend this show for a brilliant night out.  The show did exactly what it was supposed to do, and it brought a new wave of people into the theatre who would usually rather burn than step foot into our jazzle dazzle, sequin clad, bursting into song for no reason world.  Is it a classic like Les Mis?  No.  Does it want to be?  Absolutely not!  So, grab your neon leg warmers, give your hair a bubble curl or a crimp, and poof out those shoulder pads as you shimmy on down to the Opera House.  You will be lost in the nostalgic buzz of an 80’s disco and come out hailing “NOW That’s What I Call A Musical!”  

WE SCORE NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A MUSICAL...



NOW That's What I Call A Musical is on at the Opera House in Manchester until Saturday 1st February 2025

BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE!