Writer/Composer: Stuart Wood
Director: Sasha Regan
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Lively & Fun”
3.5 / 5
Frank is clearing out his closet on the eve of his wedding, preparing to donate his fabulous frock collection to the V&A Museum and reminiscing on the memories each outfit gave him throughout his life. But can he really part ways with the divalicious dresses that have defined his years of singledom?
Stuart Wood’s tribute to musical theatre is lively, camp and full of fun. Each of the outfits featured in the closet come with a musical number from iconic divas such as Julie Andrews, Dusty Springfield and Judy Garland to help encourage him to move forward and embark on the next stage of his life with his partner Alan. Though the show does revolve around the titular storyline, the plot itself is relatively redundant, a loosely pieced together idea used mainly as a vessel to squeeze in as many icon interactions as possible. There are some heartwarming moments such as when Frank reminisces on coming out to his family, and his nerves about getting married, but they are quite fleeting, and it would be nice if they were expanded on slightly more to add a bit more depth. Thankfully the songs and musical performances are enjoyable enough to forgive the few plot holes and scant story – the focal point of the show after all is musical theatre, and it’s those parts that do really shine.
Frank (Andy Moss) is a likeable lead – warm and endearing, his relatable charm is a joy to watch as you root for him throughout his pivotal purge. Luke Farrugia as the divas gives a fantastic performance, each character’s persona shining through and easily recognisable. The Gaiety Girls (Patrick Cook, Tayla Watson-Braithwaite, Olivia McBride, Daniel Walford) are a wonderful addition, choreographed to perfection, they add the extra sass and glamour to really strengthen the show and keep the energy high. The cast work well together – rarely fully leaving the stage, each of the performers watch on from the wings when they aren’t performing, clearly enjoying the musical numbers just as much as the audience are!
Though the performances themselves are big and bold, the set (Catherine Phelps) and costumes (David Furnell) are relatively muted in comparison – Frank surprisingly wears the same Dennis the Menace style shirt throughout the whole show, considering his closet collection is so bright and beautiful, it would be great to see a little more pizzaz from his costume to show the vibrant personality of the character from the get go! The set is a vintage theatre curtain backdrop, which works wonderfully at the historic Wilton’s Music Hall to further give a retro feel to the old-school cabaret tribute. It allows the musical numbers to feel authentic, yet still give them enough space to shine without overshadowing the performers themselves.
This is a fun show, that will appeal especially to fans of musical theatre. The divas have a realm of witty jokes and references worked into their interactions that might be lost on those less familiar, but a welcome treat for fans of their work.
Runs Until 14th September 2024
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