(AD – PRESS NIGHT) I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY MUSICAL HULL REVIEW
HULL NEW THEATRE
MONDAY 19TH FEBRUARY 2024 @ 7.30PM
***** 5/5
Another week, another press night at my local theatre. This time, it’s to see a brand new musical that’s been catching headlines across the UK. Here’s a look at my I Should Be So Lucky musical Hull review.
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
After seeing some of the ‘troubled’ audiences in the news so far on this tour, I was very sceptical and worried about this going into this performance. I also didn’t think it was my sort of show, considering my love-hate relationship with Mamma Mia. However, after reading some reviews from my favourite theatre bloggers, I decided to go in with an open mind. I’d seen the casting so I knew I’d at least enjoy the vocals if nothing else! With the tagline “the wedding is off but the honeymoon is off”, I thought it would at least be funny in parts.
THE MAIN CAST
As soon as I saw that Lucie-Mae Sumner and Billy Roberts would be playing the lead couple of Ella and Nathan, I knew I was in for a treat. I saw them both in Titanic the Musical last May and you had to be a sensational vocalist to be in that. It’s always fun to hear a musical theatre take on popular pop songs because they either sound great or cheesy. With these two at the helm, they sounded just right. They also had insane chemistry that you believed they could be a couple.
Ella goes on her honeymoon with her family instead: best friends Bonnie (Kayla Carter) and Michael (Scott Paige), sister Britney (Emma Crossley), mum Shelley (Melissa Jacques) and grandmother Ivy (Jemma Churchill). They basically have a hen-do instead and get up to all sorts of antics. I particularly enjoyed that each of them had their own storylines as well as a solo or duet to star in.
They meet Spencer, the manager of the hotel, played by Jamie Chapman, who is the perfect host for a woman with a broken heart. Chapman exudes humour and care that one would want in that situation!
What would a holiday be without a holiday romance? Mathew Croke as Nadeem is the tour guide for the hotel and he falls for Ella, who’s very conflicted. He has an exceptional vocal range and needs many more leading roles from now on!
Nathan and his best man, Ash, played by Giovanni Spano, follow them out to Turkey so Nathan can get Ella back. Spano is the ultimate funny man in this role but that doesn’t overshadow his moves or voice.
THE SUPPORTING CAST
Every member of this cast pulls their weight, whether they’re a named character or part of the ensemble. Everyone is a triple threat and boy, do they work. There’s barely a moment when the ensemble gets to rest but neither do most of the main cast either! This is not the show for slackers!
I want to give a special mention to Tegan Bannister and Elliot Broadfoot in the ensemble. Both of them are bundles of pure joy and energy and I loved them both whenever they were on stage.
THE PRODUCTION
I’ll start by saying that this show is absolutely bonkers, possibly the craziest plot or show I’ve ever seen. The plot is all over the place, a bit like those cheesy movies like Valentine’s Day or He’s Just Not That Into You. Every character has their own story but they’re all linked together. Maybe the dialogue isn’t the best but most of the story is told through the medium of 80s songs. I really enjoyed that the songs were super relevant to the plot and helped to tell the story as well as move it along.
Once again, the music was VERY loud. It must have something to do with Hull New Theatre because, at times, the vocals were hard to hear. That was a real shame because everyone had such strong pipes! It’s a solid soundtrack and even though I’m a 90s baby, I’m big on pop music so it’s a vast soundtrack.
I was also a fan of the set, which utilised props and backdrops to set the scene. There was also a very large hanging prop (I won’t spoil it too much) and it was utilised to the max. It was integral to the story several times!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I genuinely take back anything I’ve said about not thinking this show was for me because it absolutely was! When the cast is that strong and the plot is that funny, it’s the show for me. Seriously, my face still aches from laughing so much and I saw it nearly 24 hours ago! I really hope that this show gets to live on for years because now I want to see it all over again!
It’s easily the funniest musical I’ve ever seen and is going straight into my top 3 jukebox musicals of all time too. I would highly recommend seeing this show if you can get to a tour date this year. If you enjoyed my I Should Be So Lucky musical Hull review, you can find my other theatre reviews here. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Instagram too!
