Like “Dirty Dancing” before it, yet another of the screen to stage transmutations which seem to proliferate currently, “An Officer and a Gentlemen” has a single, vibrant choreographic image around which all else might be considered mere dressing. He lifts her up (presumably where she belongs) and carries her from the factory surrounded by applauding workers and colleagues. So ingrained is that image in my mind I can recall it without any research 42 years after its release! Such is the power of screen, but what of stage?
In the highest grossing movies of 1982 only ET and Tootsie* elbowed “An Officer and a Gentleman” into third place just above Rocky III – which, I’m sure, would make an excellent ballet – proving itself a huge success for Richard Gere, Debra Winger and the very shouty Louis Gossett Jr, which, according to one critic “walks the fine line between sweeping romance and melodrama.” It grossed $129,795,554 – enough to keep me in popcorn for at least a year and made superstars of its leads.
The stage version has had a rougher ride. It premiered in Sydney in May 2012 and closed six weeks later. Not the most auspicious of beginnings, but you cannot keep a good officer down (or, for that matter, gentleman) and the show re-emerged somewhat revamped and reupholstered by the ever-inventive Nikolai Foster at the Curve in Leicester in 2018.
And the production dutifully reproduces the familiar elements we all know proving, though, structurally movies are very different from stage plays but earning plaudits from the audience as they tick off each anthemic melody from their youth. Luke Baker dons Richard Gere’s uniform and Georgia Lennon is lifted up where she belongs right at the end gaining a standing ovation from those around us. Tonally it still has a long way to go and jukebox musicals always suffer from trying to place songs into a story when they are written for other purposes – and changing “We’re in Army Now” to “We’re in the Navy Now” is not the best way to endear us at the top of the show. Everyone fires on all cylinders and when the energy is in the right place it works well.
So if you have happy memories of Mr. Gere in pristine white galloping on his motor bike stallion to carry his beloved factory princess from the tower then you won’t be disappointed!
Reviewer: Peter Kinnock
Reviewed: 26th February 2024
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 3 out of 5.
*Another screen to stage adaptation! It can’t be long before we see musical versions of other box office hits of the year : Porky’s – the Musical? Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan – the Musical?