An Officer and a Gentleman: The
Musical
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Monday 18th –
Saturday 23rd June 2018
The film “An Officer and a Gentleman” released in
1982, was one of the most iconic movies of the 1980s, reinforcing the star
status of Richard Gere after his breakthrough role in American Gigolo. Gere
played Zack Mayo, a Navy aviation
officer candidate, struggling to break with his past as a navy brat forced on
his drunken, boorish father after his mother’s death. It also starred Debra Winger and notably,
Louis Gossett Jnr, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his
portrayal of the ferocious drill sergeant, Emil
Foley.
The story concerns Zack’s struggle to make it as a
trainee jet pilot, needing to survive the merciless riding of the drill
Sergeant Foley, and his developing
relationship with local factory girl, Paula Pokrifki. There is also a sub-plot
where Zack’s friend Sid Worley, a sensitive soul, walking in
the footsteps of his late brother, becomes romantically involved with the
hard-bitten Lynette Pomeroy. Lynette and many of the local girls see the
officer candidates as a ticket out of this grey, unpromising town. Like Gere’s later movie, Pretty Woman, the
story, as followed by the stage musical, seems to be very much about rescue and
it is clear that the troubled Zack needs to be rescued as much as Paula.
The musical follows the plot of the film and packs
it with classic (mostly) 80s hits like Girls
Just Want to Have Fun, You’re The
Voice and I Was Made For Loving You,
as well as the film’s big hit, Up Where
We Belong. The songs are well-performed by a strong cast that have the
vocal chops to take on our memories of the original performances and come out
at least even.
Jonny Fines makes a good fist of playing the
troubled Zack. He gives a likeable performance, whilst portraying the
character’s complexities, and his strong pop voice comes across well,
particularly in Blaze of Glory, sung
as a duet with Darren Bennett, convincing as his father, Byron Mayo. For those
concerned about his ability to fill Richard Gere’s shoes, I should also say
that he has clearly spent many hours at the gym, honing his physique, to equip
him well for the shirtless scenes. Ian
McIntosh is also convincing as Sid Worley, a gentler performance in contrast to
Zack’s brashness.
Emma Williams demonstrates her West End pedigree in
a strong performance as Paula, the small-town girl who has seen candidates come
and go, and who tells herself she is not going to fall for Zack. Her powerful
vocals filled the stage on her rendition of Alone
and in Don’t Cry Out Loud, sung as a
duet with Rachel Stanley, believable as her disappointed but resilient mother,
Esther.
The chemistry is effective between the two leads and
the tender scenes are relatable and well-handled. Jessica Daley delivers her
creed as the cynical Lynette with a first-rate performance of Material Girl, the perfect song in the
perfect place in the show.
The other candidates and the factory girls work hard
and perform well as an ensemble. Notable amongst them was Keisha Atwell, as
ghetto girl, Casey Seegar, fighting to become the first black female jet pilot.
The reaction of the audience to her outcome showed they were as invested in her
battle as they were in Zack’s.
The show doesn’t duck the tough and tragic side of
the story as Sid and Lynette’s relationship goes badly awry.
For me, I wanted more bite from the scenes between
Zack and Drill Sergeant Foley. I’m not sure if it was the script or the essential
likeability of the veteran West End star, Ray Shell, as Foley that softened the
character.
The staging was effective, if unobtrusive, under
Director Nikolai Foster, though there is little or no choreography in the show
and I felt one or two numbers looked like they could sharpen up a little before
the show makes its planned transition to the West End. The sets are, no doubt
appropriately, rather monolithic and oppressive, although there was some relief
provided by some appealing video and back projection designed by Douglas
O’Connell.
A top-notch band delivered under the baton of
Musical Director Michael Riley and the lighting design was very effective in
the hands of Ben Cracknell.
This is a show that “does what it says on the tin.”
It gives you the story of the film, provides a bumper bundle of 80s hits and
clearly engaged its audience, who gave the cast a standing ovation on the night
I was there. The final iconic scene doesn’t disappoint in its delivery of the
“Cinderella” ending. The issues around
this in terms of sexual stereotyping and gender roles could keep one awake at
night but are best not explored here, and didn’t seem to worry the Theatre
Royal audience who were clearly lapping up the nostalgia. It was in a nod to
this, perhaps, that Emma Williams wittily picked up Jonny Fines during the
curtain call.
Review by Jonathan Cash
Photos by Manuel Harlan
