An Officer And A Gentleman, UK Tour Review
Reviewed by Kay for Theatre and Tonic.
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
The latest movie to be adapted into a musical, An Officer and A Gentleman is a pop music inspired adaptation of the classic romantic movie from 1982 that starred Richard Gere. Based around a setlist of beloved 80’s pop music, it’s a fun, but somewhat uninspired adaptation.
The musical follows the story of Zack Mayo, a hard done by young man who - following an encounter with a naval officer - enlists a gruelling twelve-week training programme. Whilst attending the course, he befriends Sid, the son of Admiral Sid Worley, who is the gentleman in this equation. One night, while on liberty, the boys meet and develop friendships with local women, Lynette, and Paula. The two women have their hearts set on leaving their local town but have conflicting opinions on how to do that. Meanwhile, the only female on the training course, Casey Seegar, is fighting against prejudice in her bid to be the first female jet pilot.
The female characters read like caricatures, with their parts lacking any real depth or understanding. They feel somewhat dated for the period in which the musical is set, and at times they felt more suited to the 1950s. Take the aforementioned Casey Seegar, who completes the athletic course with the support of her male counterparts and not on her own merit. Unfortunately, for An Officer and A Gentleman, other musicals deal with gender politics more refreshingly.
While the soundtrack is toe-tappingly addictive, some of the songs felt out of place and irrelevant. They tended to detract from the story as opposed to adding to it. When the couple’s first meet, Mayo is keen to ensure that Paulette understands that he has no intention of a romantic relationship. Yet, in the same breath, they sing a duet of “I Want to Know What Love Is” together. The segue into Madonna’s Material Girl is another example. This musical encapsulates the “jukebox” niche, but the setlist is poorly put together. At times it feels as if catchy, popular songs are hammered into gaps and not as part of the story telling.
The ensemble numbers are also hard to understand with the voices tending to compete more than harmonise.
Criticism to one side, the cast of this production hold the show together and, on that front, there is talent in abundance. A special mention should go to Paul French, who plays Sid Worley, his vocals left me wishing that he had more solo numbers. While Worley’s love interest, Sinead Long, steals the show with the numbers that she is tasked with performing.
Overall, An Officer and A Gentleman will probably be disappointing for regular theatre goers or those that prefer the kind of theatre that pushes boundaries. However, it is a fun musical with a good setlist that fans of pop music will enjoy.
On a UK tour until 9 November.
★ ★ ★
