_PNG.png)
Last night (18/3/24), I was invited to attend the Press Night for the UK Touring production of ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking.
‘I Should Be So Lucky’ is a brand new jukebox musical featuring the absolute bangers of Stock Aitken Waterman. This gives us iconic numbers from pop legends such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. The story follows Ella, who gets left at the altar on her wedding day, to relieve her sorrows, her bridal party decide to take her on the honeymoon that was originally planned to party away the sadness. But between holiday romance, and her original true love, will Nathan win Ella back, or will she stick with handsome resort employee Nadeem.
The design of the show is stunning, very much centred around the main theme of love, the set is framed with love hearts and a video screen across the backdrop which allows the show to transport you further into more locations, such as the Honeymoon paradise of Turkey. The show’s design gives a very romantic feel to it, without it looking tacky, which is a great achievement as it could have very easily slipped into a cheap looking valentine's day show - but it doesn’t! In fact, quite the opposite, as some extravagant set pieces and even using more video projection to allow Kylie herself to be a part of the show which was a wonderful surprise and received a great reaction from the audience.
The writing of the show for the most part is great. The narrative comes across nicely, and there are plenty of humorous moments - not to mention the perfect way we transition so smoothly from scripted dialogue into the iconic songs we all know and love. I did however feel there were a couple of moments of the script that just didn’t fully come across. I thought that the whole ‘Gambling problem’ theme with Brittney wasn’t explored as much as It could have been, and sort of came out of nowhere - I may have missed something, but except for the short casino scene, there wasn’t really another mention of this until the argument and we also had no prior knowledge that she used to have a gambling problem before this occasion.
These minor faults do very little against the amazing show that it is, however to present a full and honest review - I do have to mention things that didn’t work for me, and that was quite possibly one of the only things that bothered me.
The cast were all exceptional within their own right.
Lucie-Mae Sumner leads the show in the role of ‘Ella’, serving stunning vocals and a brilliant character who shifts from emotion to emotion but really carrying the story through, a truly delightful performance.
Jessica Daley plays Brittney, Ella’s sister with a flirty personality and a gambling problem too! Daley brings the fun and comedy along with lovely vocals and an energetic performance.
Another standout was Scott Paige as Michael who definitely brings the laughs. Paige was a fan favourite as the audience roared with laughter at his comedy moments and cheered with delight after his impeccable solo number.
The entire cast were wonderful and If i could sit here all day, I would mention each by name however as I can’t quite do that, I will give a special mention to Kade Ferraiolo who gave a fantastic performance in the role of Nadeem covering for Matthew Croke.
Overall, this show is filled with bangers, and a camp energy that will leave you dancing the night away during their big finale. It is a perfect choice for a night out to enjoy the music and the general atmosphere of the show.
19th March 2024
Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants