JADAR

★★★★☆

The latest musical to launch in Manchester is I Should Be So Lucky, a jukebox musical using the music of Stock Aitken Waterman, written and directed by Debbie Isitt, who is best-known for Nativity! and who won a BAFTA for The Illustrated Mum.

The musical begins with a wedding, where bride Ella (a delightful Lucy-Mae Sumner) is jilted by her groom, Nathan (a hilarious Billy Roberts). Rather than drown her sorrows, Ella and her bridal party decide to go on the honeymoon to Turkey (not Torquay, as we are reminded).

Ella quickly develops feelings for Nadeem (a charming Matthew Croke), who works at the hotel. She bumps into an obnoxious schoolfriend, Olivia (Anna Unwin), who is on her honeymoon with her sleazy husband, Revel Harrington III (Dominic Andersen) – the pair are hilariously annoying.

After accidentally telling Olivia that she, too, is on her honeymoon, she pretends that Nadeem is her husband. Nathan and his supportive best man, Ash (Giovanni Spanò, a comic delight), soon turn up, and he tries to win her back. No romantic musical is complete without a love triangle!

The supporting characters all have their own storylines. Bridesmaid Bonnie (Kayla Carter), a warm-hearted sasspot, tries to win over Ash. Bridesman Michael (Scott Paige), a fabulous diva, falls for the heavy-handed but big-hearted Turkish masseuse, Hassan (Ralph Bogard). Sister of the bride Britney (Jessica Daley) begins an affair with Revel.

Meanwhile, mother-of-the-bride Shelley (Melissa Jacques) gets a bit frisky, and father-of-the bride Big Mike (Gary Davis) makes a few appearances, including outside his love-heart-sharped house, which is covered in roughcast/pebbledash, referencing the family’s humble nature. Indeed, the characters are relatable and lovable, by virtue of being down-to-earth Northerners, à la Benidorm.

Ella’s grandmother (well, glamma), Ivy (Jemma Churchill), also get to play around a little.

Whilst the first act plants the seeds, things go wild in the second act. Everything is thrown but the kitchen sink (including blow-up balls into the audience!). New storylines (like Bonnie’s gambling habit) come out of nowhere; it feels like the play is constantly trying to outdo itself, and it becomes a bit tiresome.

The book, like many jukebox musical books, is simultaneously and paradoxically thin but overstuffed. Most of the characters, though fantastically characterised, are archetypes, and they are not allowed to develop to their full potential, by virtue of competing with so many other characters for stage time.

That said, it’s a camp jukebox musical about a jilted bride who goes on her honeymoon with her gal pals. Nobody is expecting sheer substance. Rather, you’re going for a wild night out!

However, the book is topical, in that it celebrates the diversity of its cast. There are actors of all colours, sexualities, ages, and sizes, all giving it their all.

It really is incredible seeing actors of all shapes and sizes dancing together in a musical; the plus-sized cast-members are no less talented than the skinny actors who one is more used to seeing in dance-heavy musicals. The choreography, a highlight of the show, is by Jason Gilkison, who is best-known for his work on Strictly.

There are a few storylines which might irk some people, such as the gay wedding in Turkey, a country with challenges for LGBTQ+ people. The gay Turkish character acknowledges the difficulties faced by queer people in Turkey but only briefly.

But whilst some might see that as tone-deaf and poor taste, others will see it as a great big “F you” to homophobia. Personally, I love that there is a gay Turkish character. People seem to forget that Arabs, Middle-Easterners and Muslims can also be queer – and there is no shame in them being proud of their ethnicity, their religion and their sexuality.

However, it is a shame that there does not appear to be any Middle-Eastern actors (or even Arabs, Persians or South Asians) playing Middle-Eastern characters.

Others might criticise the book’s vilification of Olivia to justify Jessica’s affair with Revel. The book is well-intentioned but it can be morally dubious.

However, one can read the book not as a serious musical – it really is not trying to be – but, rather, a pastiche, or a satire of ridiculous rom-coms and musicals, like Mamma Mia! This musical sees a big group of friends and family jet off on holiday, where they find trouble in paradise. There are countless conflicts, affairs, and even a storm – but, somehow, everything gets resolved and tied up neatly with a satin bow.

Isitt is not trying to be groundbreaking; she already made a name for herself with the iconic Nativity! and won a BAFTA for The Illustrated Mum. This musical is not high art; it’s just a load of good fun.

The musical’s design (Tom Rogers) is absolutely dazzling. The stage design makes use of a love-heart motif, with the action taking place in gigantic love-hearts-shaped frames, and many pieces of set being shaped like love-hearts. It gets a bit sickly, yes, but sickly sweet!

The dominant colour is pink but there are also splashes of every other colour of the rainbow; it screams “queer rights!”

We are living in the digital age of musicals. Post-pandemic, production value is poor, by virtue of tight budgets. Lots of productions are making use of digital design over physical set. But this production, whilst taking up the opportunities provided by digital design, does not starve its audience of set. There are so many set pieces that come on and off, including the basket of a hot air ballon, accompanied by tiny hot air balloons that scatter the sky. It’s a visual feast.

The lighting is luscious; Howard Hudson locates the “vibe” or “feeling” of each scene and translates that into lighting. Andrzej Goulding’s video and animation designs help create the dreamworld – a literal paradise.

A highlight of the production is Kylie’s digital appearance. It’s a gimmick and a novelty, yes, but it works. Kylie appears in mirrors; she’s like Ella’s magic mirror, who offers her advice, but really she is Ella’s inner-thoughts. There is a lovely exchange near the end where Kylie tells her that she (Kylie) is a reflection of herself (Ella) – i.e. Ella is good enough; she, too, is a diva!

Now, I cannot possibly end this review without talking about the music.

Stock Aitken Waterman is one of the most successful songwriting and producing partnerships of all time. Making a jukebox musical from some of the most iconic songs in music history is no easy feat but Stock Aitken Waterman’s involvement meant that the musical was guaranteed to do the songs justice.

As Debbie told me herself, it’s tough choosing which songs to include… After watching the show I’ve realised that she solved that problem by choosing all of them!

Just kidding. But there are a lot of songs in this musical. That allows audiences to hear a great variety of bops, but the consequence of this is only allowing us to hear segments of many of those songs because there is not enough time to perform them all in full.

Some songs are slowed down, some are sped up, some are remixed, and some are put into medleys. Musical Director George Dyer does a great job with the orchestrations an arrangements.

The best number has to be Mel & Kim’s ‘Respectable’, which is put into a medley with another song. It is initially sang by the bridal party, after the friendly, camp hotel manager, Spencer (Jamie Chapman), tells them that there has been a noise complaint. The song has an extended intro – the iconic “respectable” and “take, take, take” – which builds up excitement.

My second favourite number has to be Sinitta’s ‘Toy Boy’, which I believe is also put into a medley. I heard the song for the first time on my drive over to Manchester (I’d put on a Stock Aitken Waterman playlist). The song, which is turned into a big West End number, is initially sang by Michael, then Shelley, and then the entire cast. It’s electrifying!

I had been hoping for a Middle-Eastern remix of a song – and a genie must have heard me for my wish was granted, with Dead or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)’ given a Middle-Eastern makeover.

That song and Bananarama’s ‘Venus’ are the only songs featured which were not written by Stock Aitken Waterman – but they were produced by the trio, with the former being the trio’s first UK number 1, so it was great that they were included.

Other featured songs include Bananarama’s ‘Love in the First Degree’, Donna Summer’s ‘This Time I Know It’s For Real’, Kylie Minogue’s ‘Better the Devil You Know’, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s ‘Especially for You’, and Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.

There are also a few numbers by Sonia, who was in attendance (complete with her signature hairdo). I previously saw her perform at Eurovision this year, where I was in attendance as press. But her Eurovision song, also called ‘Better the Devil You Know’, was not one of the songs she made in collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman, so it was not included in the show.

The curtain call began with a medley, most prominently featuring Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, before Giovanni Spanò introduced Stock Aitken Waterman and Debbie Isitt to the stage.

After their speeches, there was a great big medley, made up of some of the most prominent numbers and highlights, including ‘Respectable’, ‘Toy Boy’, and ‘Better the Devil You Know’, before ending with the title song, which had been briefly sang several times, even at the top of the show. In fact, the number of references to the title song – even just “lucky lucky lucky” – is ridiculous… but I loved it.

I Should Be So Lucky is essentially satire, intentionally stupid, unashamedly silly, and style (and songs) over substance. It’s a night of pure joy and escapism to sunny Turkey in these cold, dark months. I’m not the musical’s target audience but I had a great time so I can only imagine how much people who grew up with the music (especially middle-aged White ladies) loved it.

It’s fun and feel-good but flawed – but who cares?!

I Should Be So Lucky runs at Opera House Manchester until November 2 and tours the UK until May the 4th (be with you).

Photo: Marc Brenner