If you want to Step Back in Time and indulge in a little Hit Factory nostalgia, then I Should Be So Lucky the Musical is quite possibly Especially for You. Written and directed by Debbie Isitt who brought us Nativity The Musical, this frothy juke box show is a big-hearted if rather imagination-stretching evening of fun, and an unashamed vehicle for a non-stop medley of Stock, Aitken and Waterman hits.
At first it seems that Ella and Nathan, played by Lucie-Mae Sumner and Billy Roberts, are guilty of Love in the First Degree and destined to be Together Forever but, despite there being no Telltale Signs, Nathan suddenly gets cold feet and leaves Ella standing at the altar, and before we know it there are Too Many Broken Hearts.
It’s not long before Nathan discovers that the dark family secret he believed to be true was all the product of his elderly father’s dementia, and deciding, with the encouragement of his best man Ash (Giovanni Spano) that it’s Never Too Late, he heads off to find his bride and explain.
Unfortunately by now she is In Another Place and Time, having been persuaded by her family that the wedding might be off but the honeymoon can still go ahead. In a move that would not wash with any hotel I have ever stayed in, Ella and her entire family, plus bridesmaid Bonny (Kayla Carter) rock up at the Turkish resort that had presumably been booked for a couple, but the presence of an entourage in lieu of a husband doesn’t seem to faze the hotel’s uber-camp host Spencer, who goes all out to make sure that Ella has a good time.
This good time begins to manifest itself in the form of handsome tour guide Nadeem (played on press night by cover Kade Ferraiolo), so when Nathan arrives he is shocked to see his intended in a hot air balloon with another man. Will she Breakaway with her Toy Boy or will she realise that it’s Better The Devil You Know?
To be perfectly honest, it’s best not to worry too much about the storyline and focus on the fun. There are some seriously questionable stereotypes in the narrative, from the outdated representations of gay characters and borderline offensive racial tropes, and some of the dialogue is pretty dodgy at times too, with limp-wristed delivery of ribald double-entendre and clichéd Allo-Allo-esque portrayal of the Turkish characters. It is all easily as tacky as the carpets in the ‘80s Liverpool nightclubs where I first danced to the hits that are revisited in the punchy score.
This is a show that begins and ends with the music, with the almost non-stop parade of familiar hits running one into the other. The repetition of some familiar motifs by the vamping pit band during the linking scenes tends to highlight the way that the songs begin to sound remarkably similar as the evening progresses. The band creates a big sound, and there are some impressive vocal performances, most notably from some of the supporting cast, with Kayla Carter being a particular showstopper. It sometimes feels as though the sound team on a touring show can over-compensate when presented with the sheer scale of the Empire auditorium, and unfortunately this is a good example. The extreme amplification of the voices, giving emphasis to the top and bottom frequencies, frequently makes the lyrics hard to hear, especially in the many ensemble numbers, and it would be nice to hear more of some of the solo voices, as this is clearly a very talented cast.
Nonetheless, it is a hugely entertaining piece of work. There is constant movement on Tom Rogers’ pop-up-card style heart shaped set, and the lighting and video design from Howard Hudson and Andrzej Goulding give it a flavour of sun-soaked holidays and carefree nights out. The addition of Kylie making frequent virtual appearances via a huge ‘magic mirror’ gives the show an almost panto like slant, which is suited by Giovanni Spano’s characterisation of best man Ash, in which at times he appears to be channelling Bobby Davro.
All in all, I Should Be So Lucky is an evening of light hearted fun, and a chance to recall the hits, highlights and occasional heartbreak of a byegone decade that certainly created some enduring musical memories. The show plays at Liverpool Empire until Saturday 20th April and tickets are available here, so there’s still time to Get Fresh at the Weekend.
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
Star rating: 3 stars
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| The cast of I Should Be So Lucky - photo Marc Brenner |
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