Jukebox musicals are a dime a dozen so it’s actually surprising that a Sinatra musical was not made sooner, especially given how interesting and chaotic his life was. Following its premiere at Birmingham a few years back, Sinatra The Musical has travelled south to the West End.
Written by Joe DiPietro, Sinatra The Musical is generally a pretty standard jukebox musical that does what its need to do. With familiar narrative bumps and a script that keeps most of its characters at a surface level. There is certainly a missed opportunity in not better tackling some important issues. It’s hagiographic in its positive portrayal of Sinatra, who was actually a highly volatile person, but whitewashing is inevitable when the family and estate are involved in the production – just look at MJ The Musical.
There is some discussion around Sinatra’s associations with the Mob and his unashamedly progressive politics but they are never adequately explored. One might also take issue with its attempt to portray infidelity as inevitable, as it was the norm in Old Hollywood, and whilst we are shown the immeasurable pain it caused Frank’s first wife, Nancy, the book never really shames Frank for his flaws.
Fortunately, Nancy (Phoebe Panaretos) is wonderfully written and performed as a strong woman and a fighter, not a victim. Similarly, Frank’s second wife, Ava Gardner (Anna Vilafane), who had an affair with a Frank and eventually cheats on him, could have been written as a devious femme fatale, but she is a full-rounded person with wants and needs and warts and all.
The strong female portrayals continue with Frank’s fiery mother, Dolly (an unrecognisable Jenna Russell, who steals every scene she’s in), but it’s a real shame that it ignores her political career, which is addressed in the programme. She’s just portrayed as a housewife. In actuality, Frank’s father, Marty (a most marvellous Marty Maguire), did the cooking, which was very progressive for a man back then – especially an Italian. This undoubtedly shaped Frank into the progressive, perhaps even radical, person he became, fighting for left-wing causes, in spite of the Hollywood blacklist, and refusing to play segregated venues (which is briefly referenced but, again, never really explored).
But whilst the script can sometimes be sentimental in its sanitisation, it is full of so much heart and emotion. It’s also got excellent pacing, covering a lot, whilst still doing most of it justice. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, the show is incredibly slick, sexy and stylish. It operates in a liminal space, feeling like both an old school musical, like one Sinatra himself might have starred in, but also very contemporary, embracing modern technology.
Bruno Poet’s lighting is very inventive; he shows what it possible when you pump a lot of money (and vision) into lighting design. Peter McKintosh’s stunning set uses both physical set pieces and screens, but the screens are not used in place in set but rather to enhance set and more easily transport us from location to location. Akhila Krishnan’s video designs are absolutely beautiful and a joy to watch.
Also beautiful are Jon Morrell’s costumes, which look like they have been pulled right from an Old Hollywood movie – and there are so many of them! The women, in particular, get to wear some gorgeous gowns – but this show, unlike some other splashy musicals, is not merely just “beautiful gowns”.
The onstage, 17-piece brassy band is a great fit for this show, and songs are performed and rearranged sublimely. Most of the songs are slickly weaved into the narrative; some do not further the narrative but it’s nice to include them. Rather than embarrassingly shoehorning ‘Theme from New York, New York’ in, they made the decision to have the entire cast sing it at the curtain call. Whilst the musical is playing the Big Smoke, it presumably has its eyes set on the Big Apple, what with it having an industry reading in New York, New York.
Whilst the band is huge, the production could benefit from a bigger ensemble, really heightening some of the excellently choreographed numbers. That said, every single person in the cast is exquisite. Lee Zarrett is hilarious as George Evans, who sometimes suffered almost as much as Frank’s press agent and publicist as Nancy did!
Whilst Frank is usually portrayed by Joel Harper-Jackson, who has received rave reviews for his portrayal, the two performances yesterday were the debut of Second Cover Adam Davidson, who is usually an ensemble member who briefly plays Gene Kelly – and what a debut it was!
Sinatra The Musical does not reinvent the wheel, nor does it reach the heights of Tina The Musical, which is the gold standard of biographical jukebox musicals – but it’s certainly a better example of the genre, with a slick script, excellent direction, glossy production, and heartfelt performances.
