If you were around in the 1980s, the music of Stock, Aitken, and Waterman was everywhere. Drawing off the hi-NRG craze, which populated the gay clubs, I Should Be So Lucky and other songs sung by enthusiastic, clean-cut youngsters were big business.
Created by Debbie Isitt, who has the three Nativity films and associated stage musical under her belt, this poppy and peppy musical is short on plotlines but full of talent and tunes – nearly thirty of them, in fact.
Ella (a charming Lucie-Mae Sumner) and Nathan (Billy Roberts, in an uncharismatic role) are getting married. When he jilts her at the altar at an unfeasibly expensive wedding, for reasons which turn out to be simply ridiculous.
Egged on by advice from her fairy godgother/alter ego (pop princess Kylie! In digital form) Ella heads to her honeymoon in Turkey, accompanied by her mum, nan, sister, bridesmaid, and gay best friend.
The ensemble and supporting cast are agreeably OTT and enthusiastic. Matthew Croke impresses as the tour guide Nadeem, who falls out of his seductive patter into real affection, while Scott Paige is a bundle of exuberance as he searches for his ‘Toy Boy’.
A special mention for Jamie Chapman, whose manager of the site has the oily obsequience of a resort manager mixed with zingers and a lot of heart – he’s part Alan Bennett, part Paul Lynde, and a delight.
As for those songs, they assemble all your pre-teen pop crushes (for me, Pete Burns and Siobhan from Bananarama rather than Kylie and Jason), and make a real effort with some of them. They’re a little repetitive, though, and a new arrangement now and then might be welcome.
I particularly liked the use of Hazell Dean’s early empowerment epic “Wherever You Go, Whatever You Do”, delivered in a storm, and Dead or Alive’s “You Spin My Right Round” in a bit where our (anti)hero and his mate (Giovanni Spano) pretend to be Turkish waiters.
A Mel & Kim mix, led by “Respectable” and a burst of Bananarama’s “Love in the First Degree,” give that sense of female choice the central story lacks. SAW may have been an all-male team, but their girl groups packed a punch.
There’s rather too much going on with regard to subplots and cheesy gags – the number of the airport gate is, yep, 69 – but Kayla Carter’s Bonnie and Gary Davis’s Big Mike are memorable in their roles.
On the creative side, the heart-shaped theme, which runs all through right down to Ella’s house, is beautifully designed by Tom Rogers, who also gives us a range of knockout costumes.
Aided by Andrzei Goulding’s video backdrops, we can believe we’re watching the waves or up amongst the stars. It’s all fantasy, after all.
The choreography by Jason Gilkison of Strictly fame will take you right back to your formative years on the dancefloor, and in the end, Ella’s questionable choices and the chaos in the script won’t stop you having a good time.
If you’re a fan of the era, this will be up your street – love the cast having their best time, and ignore those gaping plot holes.
I Should Be So Lucky – The Musical is currently at New Wimbledon Theatre as part of its UK tour, with tickets here for all dates.
***
Image credit: Marc Brenner