Stock Aitken Waterman’s I Should Be So Lucky The Musical At The Grand Leeds Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Claire Giles
As a child of the 80’s I was brought up to a soundtrack of hit songs by Stock Aitken Waterman and loved artists such as Kylie, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley so I Should Be So Lucky The Musical sounded exactly the kind of thing I would like, and it definitely was. Created by Debbie Isitt, who created the hit NATIVITY franchise and choreographed by Jason Gilkison who is the creative director for Strictly Come Dancing.
We watched the show at The Grand Theatre & Opera House in Leeds. The Grand is based in Leeds City Centre so is easily accessible by car or public transport. There is plenty of payable car parking nearby. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.
The plot centres around Ella who is jilted at the altar by her fiancé Nathan on their wedding day due to a misunderstanding. Though the wedding is off, Ella with encouragement from her nana decides to go on what would have been her honeymoon to Turkey with a few tagalongs. So off she goes to Turkey with her mad nana, her voice of reason mother, her out for a good time sister, her confidant best friend and hilarious gay best friend. Nathan meanwhile realises that he has made a big mistake and with encouragement from his lifetime best friend Ash they jet off to Turkey to win back Ella. Though is he too late after Ella has started a rebound relationship with the Turkish hunky resort tour guide Nadeem.
Each main character also has their own sub plot and each gets their own moment to shine which is good but bad at the same time as so much was going on there was no real depth in the plot. Though the main enjoyment came from the music as you would expect. It was non-stop singing and dancing. The dance routines, especially the large group numbers were truly amazing to watch and the large group performance of ‘Toy Boy’ was a real highlight of the show. The cast were all fantastic. You especially couldn’t help but love the character of Ash who though humorous showed real heart and Spencer the hilariously witty camp resort manager who was joyful to watch. There was even a virtual appearance from pop princess Kylie. She appeared on occasions throughout the show as Ella’s fairy godmother / inner confidence encouraging her to find her inner Kylie with her mantra of “strong, beautiful and fabulous”
The music was the real highlight of the show. I knew every song and had to stop myself from singing out loud until the end when we were encouraged by the cast for everyone to get up on their feet singing, dancing and clapping along with the final song performances ending the show on a real high topped off by the confetti cannon over the audience! There were over 30 songs performed from the Hit Factory, including 10 number 1 singles, some performed like you have never heard them before. Well known songs from artists like Kylie, Rick Ashley, Jason Donovan and Bananarama. Especially For You, Never Gonna Give You Up, Love In The First Degree and of course I Should Be So Lucky are just to name a few that were performed. The song’s lyrics were cleverly used to create the dialogue in parts and the cast performed often reduced versions of the songs to fit in with the plot.
Though the plot lacked in places it was non stop singing and dancing fun and I really enjoyed it. It was pure feel good cheese, funny, camp, at times mad, with some tender moments and had me laughing out loud in parts. The cast was diverse and inclusive and most people could relate to someone in Ella’s ordinary working class family and friends characteristics. There were some witty one liners, rude jokes and tongue in cheek moments and I left the theatre feeling uplifted and will be singing the songs for days to come.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £22 – £53
Stock Aitken Waterman’s I Should Be So Lucky The Musical is at The Grand Theatre & Opera House Leeds from Tuesday 12th – Saturday 20th December 2023
For more information or to book tickets visit http://www.leedsheritagetheatres.com or call the box office on 0113 2430808
Leeds Grand Theatre, 46 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU