Alleyne Dance Kristina and Sade Alleyne The Lowry, Salford March 26-27, 2024; 1 hr 20 mins Alleyne Dance has a clear and probably unique selling point: its creators, leading performers and choreographers (and marketing managers) are identical twins Kristina and Sade Alleyne. That offers both opportunity and limitation. In this one-act piece Far From Home, they wisely avoid gimmicky features based upon their similarity, and yet it’s obvious that there are two figures on the stage who – apart from the different colours they wear – look as if they could be the same person. How to use that precious characteristic must have been one of the creative stimuli for the whole enterprise. It's about migration: that much you’re told in the briefing sheet. It’s “abstract narrative dance”, so there’s some kind of story but a lot left to observers to work out for themselves. The official description speaks of the emotional and mental stresses of migrant families, the meaning of tolerance, the practice of integration and the impact of migrants settling in host communities, so it’s timely and thoughtful. There are three groups of performers: the six company members - Kristina and Safe, Bryan Doisy, Giorgia Gasparetto, Juan Jesus Guiraldi and Iro Konti; five company interns (all girls); and a larger “community cast”, mainly drawn from The Lowry’s CAT (Centre for Advanced Training) programme . The first 30 minutes or so are presented purely by the company six alone; after that the extras are used sparingly, mainly to amplify the movement of the core group, in the case of the interns, and seemingly to represent the idea of host community in the case of the larger gang, who have their biggest function towards the end as the stage becomes fully peopled. The house style of the company is striking and well drilled: full of fast, jagged movement and kinetic energy, with a frequent device of bodies piled atop each other to make a kind of pyramid shape, like flotsam and jetsam on a beach. In almost universally dim light, at first individuals are separated, striving, grabbing on to what they can hold, then we see relationships emerge (trust and distrust, welcome and conflict), both between the arrivals and the people they meet. That’s where the twins’ similarity is cleverly used: are they two faces of the same person? Symbolising the recognition that a stranger is just like myself but for the grace of God? Highlighting the risk of alienation for some who start out with the same hopes and dreams as everyone else – the unlucky ones? The music (Giuliano Modarelli and Nicki Wells) is a sequence of tracks, with silences between, most made up of repeated cells establishing moods. There’s a kind of hinge point around half way, when it seems peace and harmony are breaking out, only for the stresses and agonies of the opening to return and be repeated on a bigger scale. On reflection, that is a factor that suggests that the graphic and energetic intensity of the piece could possibly be better preserved in a shorter format, perhaps as one part of a double bill rather than a single show. Info and tickets here

Not content with launching its own clothing label, new Manchester-based queer arts company Rough Boy is also in the middle of casting its first theatre production, Je Suis Charlie, a black comedy that opens at city centre venue 53Two this week (March 28-30). The company launched this year with a collection of t-shirt designs, for those "who wear their heart on their sleeve and who they are on their chest". By multi-award-winning writer and director Nick Maynard, Je Suis Charlie is a dark comedy about a satirical cartoonist, Charlie, who hooks up with young guy Mike on a gay dating app, only to discover Mike is a Christian fundamentalist who wants justice for Charlie’s blasphemy. Nick trained at Manchester School of Theatre and has had work performed at the National Theatre, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, and Manchester's Royal Exchange. His play Quaranteen won the V International Young Theatre Play Writing Contest and is due be translated and published in Spanish later this year. He is creative director for Rough Boy. Je Suis Charlie director Scott le Crass was recently nominated for best creative West End debut at the Stage Awards for his production of Rose, by Martin Sherman, starring Maureen Lipman, who won an Off West End award for best solo performance. More info and tickets here

Theatre specialist Alistair Armit is the new chairman of Blackpool Grand Theatre's Arts and Entertainment Board. A former opera singer, Broadway theatre consultant and high-tech arts professional, Alistair has taken over from Tony Stone, who has stepped down after 15 years. Alistair is from an extensive arts background, having spent the first 11 years of his career as a professional opera singer, then went behind the scenes and worked his way up through theatre management roles from box office, marketing and commercial departments to theatre director. He then moved into the IT field and became a software consultant, working with theatres and visitor attractions on both Broadway and in London's West End, among many others. This led to working on the launch of Moulin Rouge on Broadway, being a consultant for stadiums ranging from the Dallas Cowboys to Manchester City and to the installation of software at Buckingham Palace. Alistair said of his new role: “Blackpool Grand has always been a very special place to me. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the board and theatre members for all the support and trust they have shown in appointing me as Chair. “Theatre is in my blood, I missed it so much when my career took me in another direction. Joining the Grand has been wonderful, as it gives me the chance to still be involved in lots of areas. I look forward to supporting the theatre to continue moving forward." Chief executive Adam Knight, said: “Alistair's wide-ranging experience, perspective and industry insight will be invaluable as we continue to build on our successes." Retiring board chairman Tony Stone said: “I can honestly say it’s been one of the most stimulating and fulfilling roles I have had the pleasure of performing." More info here

Developed with integrated creative access at its heart, FADE, by Manchester-based, visually impaired and neurodivergent actor, writer and creative-access director Alice Christina-Corrigan, premieres at The Lowry in Salford on April 4-5. Created by a disabled-led team, and part of The Lowry's Developed With initiative, Alice has focused on disability representation through all elements of the production. Following the sudden death of their mother, estranged siblings Cassie and Rubin are reunited. As they begin packing up furniture and keepsakes, they start unpacking their life and relationships. Alice said: "FADE is about the role our siblings play in moulding our lives. It's a harrowing tale of how one decision can alter the trajectory of that relationship forever." Antonia Beck, a senior producer at The Lowry, said: "It has been such a joy to work with Alice over the past 18 months. We have been delighted to provide a sustained level of support which has enabled her to take this significant next step in her career. Alice really is a powerhouse, pioneering an innovative, accessible, and vital approach to making live performance. We are really proud of what she has achieved." Formed in 2009, Developed With is The Lowry’s flagship artist development programme for early to mid-career artists establishing their creative identity and looking for time and support to take a significant step forward in their work. Funded by Arts Council England and Salford City Council, the program offers support for artists over 12-18 months to create ambitious, high-quality work and develop their expert. FADE is also at Leeds Playhouse April 25-27. More info and tickets here

Foppa and Rossini Royal Northern College of Music RNCM Opera Theatre March 17-23, 2024: 1 hr 55 mins La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) is a one-act comedic opera for six characters, of a sort the Italians called farsa at the time (1812). And director Robert Chevara takes it as basic that farce is the model to follow if you do it today. He’s not wrong. The story’s ridiculous, but it works well on a set (by Jess Curtis) with five doors at the back, the better for people to nip in and out of, and a few simple props, the better for them to “hide” behind – it’s that sort of plot. We’re in Paris: a small-size Eiffel Tower near the front of the stage makes that clear, and the time is the present. Costumes are flattering and neatly cut, but in a colour palette that’s lurid and possibly indicates that everything takes place in an alcoholic haze (there’s a prominent drinks trolley from which several characters partake as it goes on). The ladder of the title is one that’s used by Dorvil, the tenor, secretly married to our heroine Giulia, to sneak up to her room undiscovered. She’s the ward of Dormont, who thinks she should be getting married to his mate (and Dorvil’s), Blansac. Her friend Lucilla actually loves Blansac (goodness knows why), and Germano the servant wants to help but gets things hopelessly mixed up every time he tries. At the outset we see a stout and substantial metal ladder at the front of the stage, resting in the orchestra pit, but in the second part it’s apparently changed to be made of silk and has migrated to the back. Don’t ask. It’s not often the Royal Northern College goes for a piece with so few characters in it (and no chorus), but as usual it’s double-cast (I saw the “blue” line-up), so 12 of their vocal students get a chance to show what they can do with roles that demand as much acting ability as vocal prowess. The conductor on the night I saw it was Matteo Dal Masso, an experienced musician studying for his masters degree in conducting at the RNCM. He proved himself a true master of his art, picking engaging and vivacious tempi throughout with plenty of flexibility, getting precision playing from the RNCM Opera Orchestra, and remaining sympathetic and helpful to his singers at every turn. The conductor at the other performances was Wyn Davies. A duet near the start establishes a relationship between mistress and servant, Giulia and Germano, which begins to set up the plot, as he puts two and two together and gets anything but four. Maeve Herd, in her first leading operatic role, has some lovely tone and can characterise at the same time as producing that tone. She also showed off her high notes, while Matthew Secombe, as Germano, had his own best opportunity near the end of the show. There is also a brief showpiece for Lucilla, in this case Rosa Sparks (who was Emmie in Opera North’s recent Albert Herring in Leeds), which calls for a big range and some virtuosity; and Liam Forrest proved his excellent intonation throughout. Brennan Alleyne brought a light and attractive tenor and stage assurance to Dormont, and William Jowett, with an almost John Cleese-like physical presence, was effective as the would-be wooer Blansac. There was no credit for movement direction, but Chevara not only placed his protagonists cleverly around the stage but also had them indulge in a bit of lively dancing at the end, which brought the entire business to a cheer-earning conclusion.

English Touring Opera travels to Durham’s Gala Theatre, Buxton Opera House and York Theatre Royal this spring with two productions: Manon Lescaut and The Rake’s Progress –  both performed in English with surtitles. The company also has an opera for children, The Great Stink, described as “an hilarious, fun-filled family show about poo… lots of it”. Victorian London and its smelly River Thames are brought to life by singers, musicians, puppets and interactive moments. Children also get to meet Queen Victoria, prime minister Disraeli and even Old Father Thames himself. Written by Hannah Khalil and composed by Omar Shahryar, The Great Stink is the second in ETO’s series of operas about climate change and the environment, exploring water pollution and the way we dispose of sewage today. It’s directed by Valentina Ceschi and designed by Sam Wilde. Venues include Newcastle schools, Goole Library, York Theatre Royal and Acomb Library in York. Manon Lescaut, whose story is from a scandalous 1731 novel by Antoine Francois Prevost, has been the source of more than one opera and ballet over the years, including an opera by Halevy (1830), Balfe’s The Maid of Artois (the English opera in which Maria Malibran had possibly her greatest-ever success, followed closely by her death at the age of 28 during the 1836 Manchester Music Festival), Auber’s opera (1856) and Massenet’s opera Manon in 1884. Kenneth Macmillan’s dance version for the Royal Ballet (1974) uses Massenet’s music and is now a repertory classic. Most versions (but not Massenet’s opera) have the central benighted love couple finally deported from France to America, where they die in (variously) the desert, or the swamps of Louisiana. Puccini’s opera was a breakthrough hit for the composer in 1893: director Jude Christian brings a sharp new translation to his radical production, and ETO music director Gerry Cornelius conducts. Leading the cast are Jenny Stafford (Manon), Aidan Edwards (Lescaut), Gareth Dafydd Morris (Des Grieux), Edwardd Hawkins (Geronte) and Brenton Spiteri (Edmondo). Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress is directed by Polly Graham of Longborough Festival Opera, with conductor Jack Sheen. It’s the cynical but sympathetic tale of a young man’s downfall, with libretto by WH Auden and Chester Kallman, based on Hogarth, with the hero ending in Bedlam (the hospital for the insane in London), first seen in 1951. Opera performance dates: Durham – March 25-26; Buxton – April 4-6; York – April 19-20. More info here

CBeebies and CBBC presenter Evie Pickerill joins York Theatre Royal's Aladdin cast as The Spirit of the Ring this Christmas. Evie has been one of the main presenters on CBeebies since 2018, and also regularly hosts shows on CBBC. She joins York panto favourite Robin Simpson, who returns as Dame in a show written by Paul Hendy, directed by Juliet Forster and co-produced with award-winning Evolution Productions – the team behind previous York pantomimes Cinderella, All New Adventures of Peter Pan and last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk. Aladdin director Juliet Forster, who previously directed Evie as Juliet in a CBBC Shakespeare production, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming Evie to York Theatre Royal. She made a wonderful Juliet and was a joy to work with. I am really looking forward to seeing her bring her unique, lovable style to pantomime." Evie has appeared in pantomime before, as Cinderella and Snow White, and in musical Shout! She studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, is a supporter of several children’s charities and in 2022 raised money took part in Comic Relief and Children In Need and became a champion for Place2Be. Aladdin is at York Theatre Royal December 3-January 5. More info and tickets here

Mudar Alhaggi Collective Ma’louba Factory International, Aviva Studios March 21-23, 2024; 1hr 30 min, no interval The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner, by Syrian writer and director Mudar Alhaggi, is a striking piece of theatre that will stay for me for a long time, probably forever. Writer Mudar Alhaggi, a Syrian refugee in Berlin, discovers that the former senior SS officer Alois Brunner, responsible for sending over 100,000 European Jews to ghettos and concentration camps during the Nazi regime, fled to Syria as a refugee in 1954. Adolf Eichmann’s right-hand man escaped justice and, it is believed, became a security advisor to the Syrian secret service. Mudar Alhaggi, fired by much more than the irony, seeks to find out more and wonders whether their paths might even have crossed. The play opens with two actors who arrive to rehearse Mudar Alhaggi’s play. There is a collective approach to the writing and production but, finding themselves with only shreds of a script and incomplete research, the actors try to improve communications with Alhaggi, who has left messages, but seems to have disappeared. The play we see is their search for truth and meaning, and for Alhaggi. Performances are almost entirely in Arabic, the language of the writer and actors, and are highly naturalistic. The actors, playing a variety of roles, immediately develop a rapport with the audience. Scenes jump backwards and forwards, and move between reality, supposition and sheer fantasy. Despite the serious nature of the subject matter – persecution, injustice, acceptance, surveillance and the return and revival of evil – there are many moments for laughter. The human spirit is never defeated, barely diminished. Wael Kadour, a Syrian actor and dramaturg, has extensive European experience of political theatre. His performance is natural, convincing and empathetic, particularly when playing a much younger, naive man. Mohammad Al Rashi, a Syrian actor, director, and musician, brings a mature and natural approach to all his roles, including the ageing Brunner – at moments he is able to bring a fleeting warmth even to that character. If this play was running longer than a few nights, I would happily return to study his performances in more detail, for he is outstanding. But my return would also be prompted by the difficulty I had at times following exactly what was going on. Delivering the play in Arabic, as the writer intended, is fine, but the subtitles, when every word is important, were a problem at times. They were displayed on only one small screen, roughly actor waist height, at the front of the stage. From the side they were not easy to view, particularly for someone relying on varifocals, and often seemed to move at the wrong pace. At the start, the actors mentioned trying to get the best place to display the subtitles. I was disappointed that Factory, with all the technology at its disposal, hadn’t worked more collaboratively to ensure accessibility for all. Some modern theatre runs the risk of being accused of delivering style over substance; The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner completely avoids that. It is an outstanding piece of theatre and deserves a longer run – with better subtitles More info and tickets here

Heading the cast for the Royal Exchange's state-of-the-nation play Sweat (April 26-May 25), Carla Henry is back on very familiar territory. In fact she's been a regular at the theatre for the last 20 years, most recently in Betty! A Sort of Musical, but also having appeared in Light Falls, Our Town, Birth, Miss Julie, Weeding Cane, On The Shore of the Wide World and Habitat. Co-lead Pooky Quesnel also returns, after appearing here as Lady Capulet in 2006's Romeo and Juliet. In American playwright Lynn Nottage's gritty social drama they are best friends Tracey and Cynthia, who after 20 years on the factory floor together have a friendship ingrained with the sweat of shared manual labour. Together, in a small Pennsylvanian town, they have celebrated birthdays, supported each other, and laughed until they cried. But as fat-cat factory owners look for cheaper options, where unions are no trouble and employees will work for less, they are about to have the rug pulled from under everything they know. Sweat won Nottage the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Though the play is set in America, she researched it in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, during the 1984 miner’s strike, taking inspiration from the struggles of the workers and even speaking at the strike herself. Director Jade Lewis said "I feel really honoured and excited to bring Sweat to Manchester. It gives a voice to the people, highlighting lives, dreams and experiences of the ordinary person with great nuance and complexity." More info and tickets here

Bruntwood prize-winning play Electric Rosary, written by Tim Foley, made a powerful impact when produced at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre in 2022. Tim’s most recent play, Driftwood, has been put on video during its tour last autumn and can be streamed free. The drama was co-produced by theatre companies Pentabus and ThickSkin, and the tour was to a variety of venues including Blackpool Grand. Now its “live capture” has been released, celebrating Village Halls Week. Pentabus has a history of excellent digital theatre, most recently winning an Off West End Award for Best Online Production and BFFI Best Film for their work. Directed by Elle While (The Globe’s Hamlet, West End revival The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and Neil Bettles (Disney’s Bedknobs & Broomsticks, Frantic Assembly’s The Unreturning), the play is described as “intoxicating and mystical”, in a distinctive physical and cinematic style. The story is set in Seaton Carewe, the seaside town near Hartlepool, and is about two brothers who walk a beach, trying to figure out what to do with their dying dad. As Mark and Tiny meet, their own town is crumbling. Family rifts and political divides pull them apart, while a strange figure made of driftwood seems to stalk the shore at night. But there are dying crabs on the beach, and something is wrong with the sea itself… There are only two performers, James Westphal and Jerome Yates. Design is by Lulu Tam, lighting by Charly Dunford and Sound by Lee Affen. The video is free to watch (below) until March 27, or by searching for Driftwood Live Capture | Pentabus.

Shelagh Delaney Royal Exchange Theatre Company Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester March 15-April 13, 2024: 2 hrs 45 mins What is there new to say about A Taste of Honey? It’s been a GCSE set text for years and there are reams of pass notes and analyses about it – ground-breaking kitchen-sink drama, social document, glimpse of a bygone age, harbinger of women’s liberation; a strange and now scarcely-believable memory of a time before free contraception, the legalisation of homosexuality and anti-racism laws. The Exchange has done it before, more than once, and they’ve even rigged up a little exhibition about their previous productions. This new one by Emma Baggott thankfully doesn’t try to make statements or be startlingly novel. It focuses relentlessly on the two women and gay man at its centre, and makes you ask the sort of questions about them that have always been latent in the play. In the process, it takes a rather sentimental view of 1950s Salford… but then, arguably, that’s in the play too. There’s music, but it’s one singer (Nishla Smith) gently punctuating the story with (mainly) bits and repetitions of Ewan McColl’s 1949 song, Dirty Old Town: that was about Salford, really, but sentimental, too. The set is sparse, but then so were the rooms described in the script: the big design (Peter Butler) idea is a sort of unfolding fairground carousel gantry that relates to the detail of how young Jo met her brief love, Jimmie. There is a kitchen, and there is a sink, but that’s only half visible from some parts of the seating. At the heart of it there’s a relationship between a mother and a daughter, which climaxes in a searing battle of verbal artillery in the final scene. Jill Halfpenny (Helen, the mother) and Rowan Robinson (pregnant Jo) give this all they’ve got. In the first Act they verge on becoming stock soap-opera characters, but the bleak fierceness of the final confrontation has something much harder in it. It’s Rowan Robinson’s professional stage debut, and an impressive one – she’s a Salford girl, so there’s an element of homecoming in it, but it’s an achievement that she projects herself back in time by well over half a century. The other multi-faceted performance is David Moorst’s as Geoffrey, the gay art student who becomes Jo’s only real and caring friend. There’s a lot in his portrayal, as in many ways the only good human being in the whole tale. Andrew Sheridan makes a good fist of the smart and seedy, finally drunk, man in Helen’s life, but the play doesn’t give him much scope for rousing sympathy. There’s a slight surprise in the presentation of Jimmie the young black sailor (played by Obadiah) who leaves Jo after their brief fling: he's a cultivated, well dressed southerner and you wonder how he fetched up in Salford, but maybe that’s the point about tasting honey. Is the play truthful? You would have to ask someone who remembers 1950s Salford, and I don’t. Maybe it was never really meant to be: it’s interesting that an essay in the programme by Melanie Williams points out that there are myths about Shelagh Delaney being a complete theatrical ingenue springing untutored from the back-to-back terraces which simply aren’t true. More info and tickets here

Hanif Kureishi, Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe Theatre Nation Partnership & Curve Quays Theatre, The Lowry, Salford March 19-23, 2024; 2 hrs 30 min (also Liverpool Playhouse, March 26-30 & Blackpool Grand, April 2-6) Big screen to stage adaptations are always a risky business, especially if the movie is a so-called cult classic like My Beautiful Laundrette. Recreating the plot is one thing, but can you give the characters ample space to develop, does the dialogue feel "authentic" and is it possible to translate the style or feel of the film into a theatre space? This touring production is not wholly unsuccessful, but it lacks a certain something to make it a truly memorable experience. Struggling to cope in the aftermath of his wife’s suicide, Omar’s alcoholic father, Papa, sends his son to his entrepreneurial brother Nasser to get a job. Omar is asked to turn round the fortunes of a down-at-heel south London laundrette. When Omar and semi-psychotic friend of the family Salim are confronted by a right-wing gang, it is down to Omar to diffuse the situation when he recognises old school friend Johnny. What follows is a love story fused with an exploration of racism, class and gender equality in Thatcherite Britain. In a tribute to the source material, Papa is played by Gordon Warnecke, who actually made his film debut as Omar in the original 1985 movie. Warnecke delivers a touching performance as the quiet revolutionary whose ideals have been more or less crushed by the system and circumstance. He isn’t alone. Sam Mitchell is brooding, complex and likeable as “angelic thug” Johnny, the role that made a name for Daniel Day-Lewis. His relationship with Lucca Chadwick-Patel’s Omar is truly beautiful. Hareet Deol ensures Salim carries a visceral threat across the stage. As Nasser’s overlooked daughter Tania, Sharan Phull injects a relatively small part with a lot of depth. Despite the good performances, the cast seems to struggle with Kureishi’s words. The dialogue is somewhat stilted and never really sits realistically in the mouths of the actors. Despite being cleverly clear, Nicole Behan’s direction errs on the theatrical and ends up feeling safe and emotionally distant. Several fight sequences are satisfactorily choreographed but lack an authenticity and therefore, pardon the pun, fail to pack a punch. One of the film’s most famous scenes - a dangerous, romantic and passionate encounter between the two leads - is abandoned in favour of a sequence that swaps the champagne and simmering sexuality for misplaced comedy. Tom Marshall’s sound design is neat but disappointingly subtle. Perhaps the production would have benefited from an injection of louder and longer blasts of street noise and train track activity? The composition from the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe grounds the action firmly in the 80s, but this too could have been ramped up. Opportunities (“you've got the brawn, I've got the brains, let's make lots of money”) comes and goes way too quickly. What is outstanding is Grace Smart’s design. Poster-plastered concrete walls are surrounded by suspended lighting trusses and neons. The set perfectly realises the 80s juxtaposition of a fractured society and the promise of wealthy modernity. This is aided by colourful lighting design, by Ben Cracknell. Washing machines never looked so good. My Beautiful Laundrette is pleasing but perfunctory. Given the power of the movie and the prescient themes of division, othering and worrying rhetoric, the audience could be forgiven for expecting a bit more. More info and tickets here.

The annual Blast Fest returns to the Dukes, Lancaster (April 19), an annual celebration and snapshot of new work created by artists within the region. The evening showcases a range of art forms and presentation styles. Neverland (Tinker’s Version) by Leo and Hyde, is a new electronic musical in which Greatest Showman meets Narnia; and Sink!, by Fi Simpson, looks at how the film Titanic is like becoming a parent and the impending climate disaster. The Thin Places, by Fettle and Bobbins, deals with grief, regret, suicide, magic and the seaside, while Zugzwang, a new dance piece by Move Manchester, draws inspiration from the German phrase signifying a "compulsion to move". Two artists will be showcasing children’s work: Rocky the Robin, by Blue Balloon, is aimed at ages four-plus and follows the adventures of Rocky the Robin; while Harry the Hare and The Science of Shrinking Students, by Jay Walton, is an adventure presented in rhyme and aimed at ages 10 and over Dukes Producer Porl Cooper said: “As we gear up for our third Blast Fest it’s exciting to see that this year’s event diversifies the genres of work we are showcasing. The best part has been seeing our audiences growing, year-on-year, with the people of Lancaster showing unwavering support for work at its earliest stages. "With No Risk, Pay What You Decide tickets, this is an evening that brings together creativity, passion and the joy of live theatre.” Info and tickets here

Jamie Wilson, Jack Maple, Gavin Kalin, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Curve Productions Venue Cymru, Llandudno March 19-23 2024, 2 hours (also touring to Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, York, Sheffield, Liverpool, Blackpool, Hull) The 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman was a compelling story, but how well does it translate to a stage musical? The show stays faithful to the original in relating how an American military "brat" – an ill-disciplined youth from a forces family – gains entry to an intense, 12-week course to train as a Navy fighter pilot. With other candidates Zack Mayo (Luke Baker) undergoes gruelling, humiliating training to prove himself capable of qualifying. Most don't make the grade or are given less-prestigious positions. Among them is Zack’s best friend Sid (Paul French). Both Zack and Sid face distraction from two women, (Georgia Lennon as Paula Pokrifki and Sinead Long as Lynette Pomeroy) who work in a local factory and seek out trainee pilots to escape their downtrodden life. As well as being a drama with tragic moments from the midst of the cold war, we have romance. The cast is suitably energetic and well choreographed. The show is fast-paced, with slick transitions between scenes. The set is pared back to a simple and stark environment suiting the harshness of military training or working class life. Jamal Kane Crawford as the bullying Gunnery Sergeant, is a stand-out performer – some of his lines, taken directly from the film, would now be considered discriminatory. The evening features a string of 1980s hits, often used imaginatively to fit the dialogue, Livin’ on a Prayer, Material Girl and The Final Countdown among them. Georgia Lennon’s rendition of Alone will live long in the memory. As the story reaches its climax, the intensity behind it offers a dramatic conclusion. But it is difficult to replicate the impact of the movie because in this case, the stage obviously has limitations. During the action scenes, the movie has much more scope to explore the range of feelings, from despair to elation, as the cadets struggle. Certain things are glossed over here, or are hard to communicate – such as the conflict between Zack and the sergeant. The film is now 40 years old but the story remains a compelling one, and there is little merit in debating whether movie or show is best. Both have merits, but this a great night at the theatre. More info and tickets here