Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - With a top notch talented cast, An Officer and a Gentleman is solid, entertaining and an enjoyable night at the theatre!

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On Tuesday, we went to the Opera House in Manchester to see An Officer and A Gentleman. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this new musical...

Ah the 1980’s. A time of unique culture, fashion, and memorable toys. A decade that brought us, without a hint of irony, bubble perms, neon everything, shoulder pads, leg warmers, rainbow bright and glow worms! We were flooded with epic music, weird and wonderful music, and cracking films that have left a legacy for generations to come. Films such as An Officer And A Gentleman. Even those who may not have seen the film are able to identify it as ‘the one where Richard Gere sweeps the girls off her feet in his white naval uniform.’ It is an iconic moment and has become a symbol of this timeless love story, as has the award-winning song, ‘Love Lift us Up Where We Belong,’ written especially for the knee wobbling moment. Turning a classic 80’s film into a musical offers the potential of a ready made fan base, eager to come and feast their eyes and their souls as their nostalgia is brought to life before them, so I do understand why it is happening more and more. I also understand the argument for supporting and producing new shows and material too. I personally champion both options if they get people into theatres supporting the arts, and judging by tonights packed house, there is definitely an audience for this kind of show.

Zack Mayo is not your usual candidate for naval school. He isn’t connected, doesn’t have a stable home life, has gaps in his education, and has had to fight for everything in life. His world couldn’t be further away from that of fellow cadet Sid Worley, whose brother and Father were both Naval officers before him. Still, they form an unlikely yet unbreakable bond where they are able to trust, love, and learn from each other. Zack is tested to his limits by Sergeant Foley, but his fiery spirit flames his determination, and when his new friends show up for him in a way no one else has ever done before, Zack is able to trust his instincts and finally allow himself to love the equally fiery Paula. As Zack is freed from his past, Sid becomes trapped by his, and has his future ripped apart. Love, courage, redemption, friendship, honour, pure determination and grit soar through the heart of An Officer And A Gentleman The Musical, providing you with the wings to fly.

It can be with a mixed set of feelings you go to watch such a popular film given a musical make over. Will it work? Should it have been left alone? Will it make it cheesy? I had heard varied opinions on the outcome of this show, from those that said it should never have taken flight, to those who were doing loop de loops! The main disappointment I had heard discussed prior to watching the show myself seemed to have been that the songs, no matter how fabulous, were shoe horned in, and so jarred against the narrative rather than extending or complimenting it. Whilst I agree that some of the musical interludes didn’t flow from script to song in the most sophisticated of ways, the only result seemed to be a few temporary giggles from the audience, who then just went with the flow anyway and enjoyed the moment for what it was – an incredible song sung by outstanding stars and played live by an insatiable orchestra. And I have to champion that many of the songs were placed perfectly. Toy Soldiers and Family Man packed an incredibly powerful punch with their storytelling, and whilst others such as St Elmo’s Fire also served to include the audience by whisking us into a frenzy, the varied extent of these 80’s boom tunes were a pleasure to hear in live theatre. I mean, we are talking Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Blondie, and of course Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. These songs ain’t messing about people!

The design of this show fascinated me. Michael Taylor has created a back drop of fixed and transferable scaffolding and staircases that are maximised with clever direction by Nikolai Foster. The movable piece transformed from a hotel room to a factory entrance where everyone clocked in. The high rise was utilized as the diving test, and for that final stand out moment as Zack arrives in his graduation uniform ready to sweep Paula off her feet. Through an intelligent lighting design by Ben Cracknell, all of the scaffolding seemingly disappears to take us into a bar or a club, by switching the focus to neon signs, including an impressive fighter jet that flooded the stage. The scaffolding is then reimagined again as part of the training equipment and we witness the cast effortlessly throw themselves up, over, around and through the various steel bars. Their energy and fitness levels are out of this world.

Luke Baker (ETAJ, Footloose, Hairspray) as Zack was a great mix of broody, rebellious, and a strong, confident lead. My fear was that on stage this character could lose some authenticity by becoming larger than life in order to fill the theatre, but the combination of skilled actor and director ensured this wasn’t the case. After all, these experiences in naval training were based on the writer Douglas Day Stewarts real life experiences, and the tensions, the turbulent testosterone and the pumped adrenaline were beautifully bubbling away in Baker, always just a push up away from spilling out. He equally played the deep rooted reasons for his anger and mistrust with a vulnerable delicacy, which ultimately help fuel his desire to become both an officer and a gentleman. Paul French (Annie, Wizard Of Oz, Grease) as Sid was so brilliantly laid back that it allowed the dimensions of Sid and Zacks friendship shine through, and this became the real love story for me. One of true friendship that neither of them had experienced before. French took Sid on an emotionally challenging ride, so that by the time he sung Family Man, giving it an entirely new meaning, his performance ripped everyone’s hearts out. It was heartbreaking and so real. I was entirely hooked in that moment, and controversial I know, but this is moment I will remember most about this show instead of the big anticipated ending.

Georgia Lennon (The Osmond’s: A New Musical, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Beauty & The Beast) as Paula is strong, feisty and manages to shake the cliched shackles of how a strong woman was portrayed in the 80’s without alienating her character from the era either. With Lennon, yes Paula has fallen in love and she wants more from her life, but you also believe that she doesn't need either of these to survive. She is sad when she thinks she’s lost Zack of course, but there is never a sense that it means her world is over. You are safe in thinking Paula will brush herself down and use it as fuel. It makes their relationship feel more real more rooted. Her duet with French in I wanna Know What Love Is, may be an aforementioned song placement that initially feels dropped in from nowhere, for they’ve only just met, but I tell you what, they quickly win you over with their epic talent to tell a story through song and make you shiver with their vocals. Julia Jones (Mamma Mia The Party, Joseph & His Technicoloured Dreamcoat) stepped in to cover Lynette and gave us a fabulously fun new rendition of Material Girl. It transcends from sultry to cheesy which left many audience members giggling with delight as dancers in neon pink came shimmying on to the stage – not an image you’d associate with this story, but again, her talent and commitment was so powerhouse with a life force of its own that she had everyone whooping with delight by the end. Lynette is played with less of a hard edge than in the film by Jones and I applaud it. This allowed us to explore things from Lynette’s view point rather than instantly judging what she does to Sid and the disastrous consequences. With Jones, Lynette seems more desperate and naïve than calculating and cold and it really does bring new life to the character.

Jamal Kane Crawford (Guys & Dolls, The Bodyguard, Thriller Live) as the intimidating Sergeant Foley is outstanding. He quite literally gets up into the faces of the other characters, he does not flinch, does not drop a beat, and does not drop his energy, his guard and his intention. Yet equally, he does not play Foley as a one note barking Sergeant either and the acting skill and technique that has gone into this in order to keep Foley genuinely authoritative is not to be under estimated. He shows there is a real person beneath the bellowing commands, so that when he graduates his naval students, the glimpses of his humanity are entirely comfortable and understood. Melanie Masson as Esther leads a few of the female ensemble songs with belting vocals that wow your ears and cause your pulse to react. Tim Rogers as Bryan - Zacks deadbeat dad – is a generous performer, brilliantly playing the polar opposite of Zack right down to his stature, so we are able to understand a little more of Zacks past and therefore motivation, and Olivia Foster-Brown as Seagar does every woman proud by owning her place with conviction in that naval training and beautifully standing up for herself, despite the world saying she shouldn’t be there and she will never achieve her dreams. She shows us that this is baloney!

There is a fight scene between Zack and Foley that I have to mention because it was on another level! It was like an action film had sprung to life before our eyes! The lighting, the music, the choreography, the stage combat, all combined to create something truly spectacular to behold. There is clever choreography throughout (Joanna Goodwin) from the opening military training routines of In The Navy Now, to the stylised and street, commercial style when the recruits are in the classroom learning their mind boggling theory. An Officer And A Gentleman The Musical was a great night at the theatre, and had the audience on their feet at the end. It would work as a stand alone play or drama. It would work as a concert of rocking 80’s bangers. Together, it may not follow all the rules of musical theatre, but I don’t think for a second it claims to. This is a solid, entertaining and enjoyable night at the theatre with a top notch talented cast. I had personally had a rubbish day and had wanted nothing more than to go home and hide under my duvet, particularly as I had heard divided opinions on the show. I am so glad I didn’t! This production was a tonic and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, so thank you. So I feel I can therefore officially be cheesy and say, An Officer And A Gentleman The Musical lifts us up where we belong!

WE SCORE AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN...

An Officer and a Gentleman is on at the Manchester Opera House until Saturday 4th May 2024.