An Officer and a Gentleman at the Theatre Royal Nottingham Review

Reviewed by Catherine Brown

Fans of ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ will be excited to hear that the musical production, based on the 1982 film starring Richard Gere, is touring the country and currently playing at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham. Filled with iconic 80s tunes, the show is a great combination of romance, comedy and gritty drama.

Zack Mayo (Jonny Fines) is the male lead attempting to escape his past by becoming a US navy pilot. Drill Sergeant Foley (Ray Shell) is reluctant to make life easy for him or any of the other new recruits, challenging them to DOR – drop on request or voluntarily resign. Mayo soon becomes attracted to Paula Pokrifki (Emma Williams), one of the many local factory workers who dream of a life outside of their small town. The story develops with plenty of ‘will they, won’t they?’ and debates about life choices versus expectations.

While all the vocals were good, I was particularly impressed by Jessica Daley who played Paula’s friend Lynette. She sang a dramatic version of ‘Material Girl’ portraying well the lengths some people will go to to get their happy ending. Keisha Atwell also stood out for me as determined female recruit Casey Seegar who teaches Mayo a lesson in teamwork and perseverance.

Based on the book by Douglas Day Stewart, Nikolai Foster is the director with choreography by Kate Prince. Set and costume designer Michael Taylor has created effective staging which gives a prison like appearance to both the naval base and the factory where the girls work. The story was seamlessly intertwined with lyrics from 80s classics including ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘The Final Countdown’. Of course, the final scene wouldn’t be the same without the accompaniment of ‘Up where we belong’.

The Theatre Royal, built in 1865 and most recently refurbished in 1978, is a four-tiered theatre located in the heart of Nottingham City Centre. It has seven fully licensed bars including The Green Room Cafe Bar on the ground floor and The Restaurant on the dress circle level. There are plenty of public car parks nearby and a tram stop right outside.  The staff were friendly and helpful and the facilities clean.

I loved the energy and drama created by the cast and found the whole show absorbing. If you enjoyed the film, or even if you are new to ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’, this is definitely a show worth watching.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £20 to £47.50 (booking fees may apply).

An Officer and a Gentleman is at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham from 23-28 July 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.trch.co.uk or call the box office on 0115 989 5555.

Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, Theatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND