I feel wholly qualified to tell you about the latest musical to land at the New Theatre in Cardiff. Not only was I in the queue to buy the very first NOW! album when it was released, but I have gone on to fill my music collection with every one of the albums since, including all the special collection they’ve released over the years.
So, when NOW! THAT’S WHAT I CALL A MUSICAL opened I jump at the chance to head along and enjoy what I believed would be another jukebox show, filled with lots of the best songs from the 80s.
I can tell you it is all that, and the soundtrack is brilliant, but the show itself is based around the most relatable story of friendship, love, and the joys of growing up.
Before we go any further, here’s what the audience thought of the show. We also spoke to two of the stars, Nina Wadia and Melissa Jacques….
The story, by award-winning writer PIPPA EVANS is set in Birmingham in 1989 – as some of the audience told us yesterday, ‘that’s when all the good music was around‘. Gemma (NINA WADIA) and April (MELISSA JACQUES) are two school friends, hoping to be reunited at a school reunion.
There are two timelines running throughout the story, and occasionally they both meet. We start with the younger Gemma (NIKITA JOHAL) and April (MAIA HAWKINS) who spend the entire show dressed in school uniform. This leads to lots of seamless flashback moments as the young schoolgirls plan for their future lives and the older, and you’d like to think wiser girls, navigate through the cards they have actually been dealt.
I think what makes this so relatable is that we all had big plans when we were younger, and occasionally they didn’t always follow as we expected. Which is what happens in the case of Gemma and April. There’s also very strong family bonds in Gemma’s life, with great performances from her mum, dad and brother – incidentally, there are also younger versions of all the main players in the story.
The show is kind of split into two, with the emphasis on the younger girls in the first half. The second act becomes a little grittier as real adult life kicks in and a few harsh realities have to be faced. I say kind of split into two because the flashback happen throughout the entire show, only more so in act one.
The NOW! albums are celebrating 40 years and this production marks that milestone brilliantly with a soundtrack which had us all silently singing along to. With these type of musicals there’s a fine line between cheesy song choice to carefully selected track to compliment the story, NOW the Musical definitely is the latter, although on occasions you could sense which 80s hit was coming.
Both the younger and older cast members carry off these songs perfectly, adding a new dimension but ensuring these are the hits we know and love. Occasionally they mix things up a little, with male performers taking the reigns on songs which we traditionally know as female sung hits, and for me, they worked really well.
The entire cast are top notch and I would urge you to check them out HERE, there are some current and real future stars up on that stage.
The band under the supervision of MARK CROSSLAND are excellent and as for the set and costume design by TOM ROGERS and TOOTS BUTCHER, they get that spot on.In fact the cast carry out most of the set changes with a series of well choreographed moves which are every bit as good as the dance choreography by CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD, who also directed this production.
The script is hilarious and you’re never far away from a laugh out loud moment. There are however a few points which make you wince, reminding us that is was only back in the 80s that attitudes and behaviour were oh so different to today. No spoilers here, but there’s also a really lovely moment when the older girls get their revenge on a particularly slimy character. Pretty much everyone in the audience was cheering and screaming with delight at that moment.
And actually this is a show which really pulls you into the characters lives and reminds us all that time slips away very quickly. I couldn’t help think about my teenage self and whether the story I wrote back then has presented itself the way I hoped it would.
One thing I noticed, and really love, is that the show celebrates the fact that the passing of time affects all of our bodies. We get older, larger and not always wiser. There is a real stand out moment in the video store (remember those), which I won’t spoil, but I promise you it is a real ‘belly laugh‘.
I deliberately haven’t mentioned SONIA till now. You know she’s in the show as she’s all over the posters. We also know she’s giving a special performance of ‘Better The Devil You Know‘, which seemed appropriate this Halloween week. More than that I don’t really want to say, other than you know she’s coming, you can certainly sense it in the second half, and when it happens it will leave you wanting more, it’s a great moment.
NOW the Musical is incredibly funny, with some proper belly laughs along the way. The story will keep you engrossed as these two teenage friends leave school and navigate their way through adult life. And as for the music, that ticks every box in respect of a celebration of the 80s. When we get to the inevitable megamix at the end, we were all more than ready to get on our feet and let rip ourselves.
Whether you remember these songs from the first time around, or raided your parents record collection to brush up on one of the greatest musical eras, this show is definitely for you. NOW! THAT”S WHAT I CALL A MUSICAL is packed with chart topping hits, and show-stopping performances – see it while you can.
It’s at the New Theatre in Cardiff for the rest of the week till Saturday with performances at 7:30pm each evening and a 2pm Saturday matinee. Tickets range from £26 to £58 and you can get your HERE.
