Leeds Grand Theatre – until 30 December 2023
5*****
The brilliant Debbie Issitt, who gave us the wonderful Nativity, has worked her magic again. I Should Be So Lucky the Musical, based on the prolific back catalogue of those midas touch geniuses, Stock Aitken and Waterman, is everything you think it will be.
Telling the story of Ella (Lucie-Mae Sumner), who is jilted by Nathan (Billy Roberts) at the wedding, after his grandad mistakes him for someone else. Ella’s mum Shelley (Lauren Woolf on for Melissa Jacques), her Nan Ivy (Jemma Churchill), sister Britney (Jessica Daley) and friends Bonnie (Kayla Carter) and Michael (Elliot Broadfoot) all decide to go away on the honeymoon to Turkey with Ella. After finding out that his grandad had made the mistake, Nathan and Best Man Ash (Giovanni Spano) arrive in Turkey only to find Ella in the arms of hotel worker Nadeem (Matthew Croke)
Full of SAW classics, the story makes perfect sense and the songs have been chosen to fit perfectly in with the narrative. So you might not expect You Spin Me Round to be sung in the style of Greek dancing, but there it is and it works. And you might not expect Toy Boy to be about Michael falling in love with Hassan (Ralph Bogard), but it’s joyously the obvious song choice.
Jason Gilkison’s choreography is perfection and so is Tom Rogers’ set and costume design – hearts and sequins everywhere! And the mirror in which Kylie (yes Miss Minogue herself) appears is the cherry on top of Andrzej Goulding’s video and animation design.
The whole cast is excellent, thanks to Anne Vossers expert casting. The ensemble are as integral as the main cast and everyone seems to be having fun on stage
I Should Be So Lucky is as cheesy as chips and as camp as a jamboree, it’s pink, it’s sparkly and it’s full to the brim of infectious tunes that you will be singing for days afterwards.