Now That’s What I Call A Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

It’s big, bold and cheesier than a Swiss Fondue, but if you can put up with the variably dodgy Brummie accents there is a lot to enjoy in this jukebox musical based on the best musical decade there ever was – the eighties of course!

The story, set in Birmingham, follows two school chums Gemma and April and their friends and family between the year 1989 and a class reunion in 2009, and music is the elixir that never grows old – as powerful and evocative twenty years on as it was when they first heard it. It is certainly an interesting and well thought out concept for a musical and on the whole, it works, helped in no small part by a brilliant set which flips very cleverly from bar to lounge to park to video shop (remember those!). The clever and at times very funny script also skips along at a decent pace and manages to never drag, which is quite an accomplishment for a show almost 3hrs long.

Given that we have young Gemma and old Gemma and young April and old April and young friends and old friends and the flashbacks flip back and forward this can start to get a bit confusing. But matching the old characters with the younger versions is actually part of the charm of this show, it’s a bit like trying to put names to faces at your own school reunion.

The navigation through the hits is generally very well handled, some of the most iconic songs of the 80’s are cleverly rearranged and reinvented as poignant ballads. ‘Gold’ as you have never heard, or seen, it before at the start of the second half stands out, as does a brilliantly choreographed ‘Flashdance’ medley towards the end of the first.   

Acting and signing are excellent throughout from the large and talented cast. Nikita Johal as the young schoolgirl Gemma is ever likeable and has a piercing vocal, and partner in crime, Maia Hawkins as young April has all the swagger and confidence of youth. Nina Wadia as the older Gemma has the lion’s share of acting and along the way also gives one of the best drunken singing exits I’ve ever seen (Billy Connelly stand aside)! The singing stand out is Sam Bailey, the 2013 X-Factor winner, playing old April, whose vocal chops dominate the second half.

We are even treated to a guest appearance from Toyah Willcox, poster girl of many an 80’s teenage bedroom wall. Mine included!

All in all, it’s an enjoyable trip down memory lane and a musical that somehow manages to evoke a lot of emotion and nostalgia without ever lapsing into cringe. Quite an achievement!

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 25^th February 2025

North West End UK Rating: