Reviewed by Debbie Lowndes
Cilla is not my era. However, I wanted to see this musical as she was a great singer who was capable of remarkable performances.
Tuesday (3 April 2018) was the opening night of Cilla at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. The audience area was packed mainly with people from Cilla’s era. The gentlemen near to my husband was excited for the performance ahead. A lot of the audience were unsteady on their feet and the theatre accommodated well for this.
Kara Lily Hayworth played Cilla. She had the bright nutritious red hair, Liverpool accent and well what a great voice she has! She portrayed an excellent Cilla and sang the songs just as you would have imagined Cilla singing them. Cilla would have been proud I am sure.
The performance began, Cilla Black (Priscilla White) the ordinary working girl from Liverpool rising to fame from her typist’s job with the full support of faithful Bobby, played by the Waterloo Road bad boy Carl Au. He played a convincing part of as Bobby. His singing was also great especially the solo.
I must pay credit to the band they were excellent, playing sounds from the era such as The Beatles. The four musicians had their mannerisms and characters off to a tee. The dancers were great and the clothes were very fitting for the era. It was like travelling back in time and you felt like you were at the gig etc.
Then there was Brian Epstein, played by Andrew Lancel. I knew him from his days within Coronation Street. Brian was Cilla’s shared manager with whom she shared with the Beatles. This character was true to the part with his determined nature to mask his pain from those bad boys who beat him and of course his love for work. In the end it was all too much for him.
The staging and scenes were brilliant and cleverly thought out. I personally loved the home scene, although simple, it was believable and welcoming. I loved Cilla’s father he played an excellent part and it was a joy to see him bopping at the end.
I don’t want to give too much away by going into great details of the musical and spoiling it for people. Get yourselves along you will not be disappointed, it is money well spent. Young and old will enjoy it. The musical oozes with talent.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £18 to £46.50 (booking fees may apply).
Cilla – The Musical is at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham from 3-7 April 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 | 0115 989 5555
