I Should Be So Lucky
Manchester Opera House
Stock Aitken Waterman are synonymous with the music of the 80’s. In 1989 alone, they were responsible for 27% of the UK music singles market sales! They are even responsible for the global phenomenon that is Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. Now, Debbie Isitt who is best known for creating The Nativity films and musical has taken some of Stock Aitken Waterman’s best loved works to create the new musical I Should Be So Lucky.
The musical tells the story of Ella (Lucie-Mae Sumner) getting ready to walk down the aisle to marry her soulmate Nathan (Billy Roberts). There’s just one problem, Nathan has cold feet and calls the whole thing off in the worst possible way; by leaving Ella at the altar. Ella’s friends and family rally round to show her that whilst the wedding might be off, the honeymoon is not only definitely still on, but they’re all going with her!
Reminiscent of the TV series Benidorm, Team Bride head to Turkey for a week of sun, sea and cocktails. Though after discovering that his reason for jilting he’s bride is from a less than reliable source, Nathan enlists his best man Ash (Giovanni Spano) in a scheme to win Ella back, starting with flying out to Turkey. But will Ella still be available when they get there, or will hot local man Nadeem (Matthew Croke) have already swept Ella off her feet?
There is no doubt that this musical is a mix of camp and cheese, and more than littered with cliches and innuendos. This is a fun show that is jam packed with Stock Aitken Waterman hits (24 songs in total), but the entire storyline isn’t very strong. Whilst not every show has to have a deeper meaning, this is about as deep as a puddle with an ending that feels like a total disservice to the main character. This isn’t a completely terrible show, and the way the songs are worked into the production works, but there needed to be more.
The cast are very talented and carry the show well. As you would expect, the two leads Lucie-Mae Sumner and Billy Roberts were impeccable. Sumner had the additional task of having to act with a recording of Kylie Minogue who takes on an inner voice of Ella / Fairy Godmother role. A screen was repeatedly raised and lowered throughout the show in which Kylie appears. This worked well, but was an added layer of complexity for Sumner to deal with. She handled this perfectly, even when a technical fault temporarily stopped the show.
Kayla Carter (bridesmaid Sophie) gave a rendition of “You’ll Never Stop Me Loving you” which was truly outstanding, and her comic timing in scenes with Giovanni Spano were brilliant. Scott Paige (bridesman Michael) and Jamie Chapman (hotel manager Spencer) seemed to be the glue that held the show together and both did a fantastic job.
The set design by Tom Rogers seemed to have a few nods to the music video of the Kylie classic I Should Be So Lucky, with an abundance of pink and sparkle. The sets are impressive with multiple moving parts, including a hot air balloon, but added complexity created added ways for issues to occur. The technical stop was thankfully short, however, had they been unable to fix the issue we don’t think the show would have been able to continue as the moving hot air balloon is so integral to the story line.
The choreography in the show by Jason Gilkinson is also outstanding. There are a few big group numbers that really highlight how good Gilkinson’s choreography is, as everyone gets the chance to shine.
The show was well received by the audience, and everyone was on their feet singing and dancing with the cast during the curtain call, but we can’t help but feel the same would have happened if a CD of Stock Aitken Waterman’s greatest hits had been played. There are some great performances, but the storyline just isn’t strong enough. Not one we would rush back to see again unless there were some major changes to the storyline.
I Should Be So Lucky is on at the Manchester Opera House until 25 November 2023 before embarking on a UK tour. Full details of the tour can be found on the I Should Be So Lucky website. The tour is due to visit Liverpool between 15 and 20 April 2024 at The Empire.
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