Nostalgic musicals are all the rage with people of a certain age.
And fans of the 1980’s hit film, An Officer and a Gentleman, will remember the American romantic drama fondly.
Many were packed into The King’s Theatre in Glasgow for the jukebox version of the film and after a night of singing along to classic songs, there was a real feel good factor buzzing around.
The production written by the original screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart is packed with a popular playlist of gems including Jon Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Heart of Glass” by Debbie Harry and of course, the finale, Jack Nitzsche’s “Up Where We Belong”.
And this is what the audience came for, plus a dollop of good old-fashioned romance.
The story follows Zack Mayo, who has joined the Navy to beat his demons. He and his fellow trainees are put through their paces by tough drill sergeant Emil Foley.
During his training, Zack meets a local girl, Paula and falls in love and the story follows Zack as he tries to conquer his past fears and start a new life.
Luke Baker and Georgia Lennon make a good Zack and Paula and Jamal Kane Crawford clearly embraces his drill sergeant role.
Tim Rogers plays Zack’s stern and unloving father Bryon and Paul French is Zack’s sidekick Sid Worley.
They are joined by Sinead Long (Lynette Pomeroy), Scottish actress Melanie Masson (Esther Pokrifki), Olivia Foster-Browne (Casey Seegar), Lucas Piquero (Eduardo Cortez), Chris Breistein (Louis Perryman and flight captain), Wendi Harriott (Aunt Bunny), James Wilkinson-Jones (Troy), Danny Whelan (Craig), Julia Jones (factory girl and dance captain), Etisyai Philip (factory girl), Mia Harrison (factory woman) and Luke Simmonds (Hooper). Will May and Ellie-Grace Cousins provide onstage swing.
The actors look the part in their crisp costumes, with a matching set, all coordinated by designer Michael Taylor.
It’s the music directed by Christopher Duffy which makes this Jamie Wilson production really work and combined with the unfussed story, it really is an entertaining night out.
The show runs in Glasgow until Saturday 9th March before moving down to the New Wimbledon Theatre from 1st April to 6th April. It then heads to the Theatre Royal Brighton from 23rd April to 27th April before moving to the Opera House Manchester from 30th April to 4th May. You can find out about all the other UK venues for 2024 and check ticket availability at: www.atgtickets.com.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs by Marc Brenner
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