Reviewed by Linzi Davies
As an absolute avid viewer of the hilarious films that form the Nativity Trilogy, the opportunity to review the musical was too good an opportunity to miss. Whilst it felt a little strange wandering through the ghosts and ghouls on the city centre streets on an eerie Halloween night heading to see a Christmas bonanza, on being met by children galore dressed in tinsel, Christmas jumpers and Rudolph headbands as the theatre threshold was passed, the mood was set for a festive thrill.
Unfortunately, due to a technical issue during the afternoon, the show was delayed for 45 minutes and this did initially dampen the mood as both children and adults alike sat miserable, waiting… Finally, an hour after the scheduled start, the doors opened and people flocked to take their seats. We were in stalls, Row L with 4 empty seats in front of us giving a completely unrestricted view of the glittery, dazzling stage set up. Fair play to Debbie Isitt, writer and director, she came onto stage and explained that members of the adult cast had been trapped in a lift for a number of hours which had knocked back the preparation and obviously caused them much discomfort. The decision of ‘The Show Must Go On’ was met with rapturous applause which set the tone for the rest of the evening.
I must admit, I was slightly concerned that the free-flowing script and obvious on-screen relationships between the characters would be difficult to move across into the live environment, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The opening scenes, narrated by Simon Lipkin (although not obviously in his role as Mr Poppy at this stage) allowed the audience to meet the stalwarts of the show, Paul Maddens (Scott Garnham), Jennifer Lore (Ashleigh Gray) and Gordon Shakespeare (Andy Brady) as their younger days develop through the stages of friendship, love, jealousy and ultimately heartbreak. Dreams of dramatically success end in TEACHING! and primary aged children at that…
The on-going battle between the extremely posh Oakmoor students and the ‘chavtastic hopeless ruffians’ from St Bernadette’s is showcased during the opening musical number of 5-star review / Better than you and from that point on the show gets stronger and stronger. The children in this show are so talented, they bring laughter, humour and tears of sadness as they tunefully firmly implant themselves in our hearts. For me, the absolute star of the show is Mr Poppy, his entrance on the scooter singing about his lunchbox and being the new boy during his first day at school is fantastic and he is so natural in the role, his whole appearance appears to be totally unscripted, he is that seamless. At a number of points during the show, I literally could not see the stage through the tears that were rolling down my face, my stomach today feels like I’ve done some serious gym training from laughing out loud so hard that I think people actually turned to look at me!
The journey through the preparation for the finale is heart-warming, poignant and thought provoking. A serious message given though the medium of dance, song and not forgetting ribbon twirling, no ‘Audishon’ is complete without it. Words cannot honestly give this show the credit it deserves, it is probably the best scripted and funniest production I have ever seen.
From the King Herod classic to the trip to Hollywood with the kids, to the death slide and selfies, this show blew me away, you don’t just watch this show, you live it.
Do not miss the opportunity to see it, it definitely needs adding to everyone’s Christmas list.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £13 to £58.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Nativity the Musical is at the Liverpool Empire from 31 October to 4 November 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/liverpool or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
