Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
Tuesday, September 17th to Saturday, September 21st
Review by Tony Flood
The first night audience at The Congress Theatre showed their appreciation for the captivating romance An Officer And A Gentleman the musical on Tuesday by giving it a standing ovation.
They soaked up the nostalgia provided by old favourite songs which were hits for Cyndi Lauper (Girls Just Want to Have Fun), Kim Wilde (Kids in America), Madonna (Material Girl) and Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.
For me, the stand-out number was I Want To Know What Love Is, superbly delivered by Georgia Lennon and Luke Baker who showed great chemistry as young lovers Paula Pokrifki and Zack Mayo.
But a few of the 22 songs fitted only loosely into the storyline, and choreographer Joanna Goodwin’s dance routines varied from enthralling to, on one occasion, puzzling.
The show is based on the award-winning 1982 movie, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger.
The story, written by Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen, tells how Zack undergoes rigorous training at officer candidate school to become a U.S. Navy pilot.
He and his friend Sid Worley (Paul French) support each other in coping with the tough methods of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (brilliantly played by Jamal Kane Crawford).
Zack and Sid show vulnerability as the pressure on them mounts both in training and in their love lives, with Sid led on by the scheming Lynette Pomeroy, convincingly portrayed by understudy Julia Jones.
Much of the first act is taken up introducing the characters and their traumatic backgrounds. A basic multi-purpose set designed by Michael Taylor is used to take us from the Navy Academy to a paper factory where the women work and a local bar.
The plot thickens in the second act as problems mount for the two couples, with Luke Baker, Georgia Lennon, Paul French and Julia Jones showing varying degrees of emotion.
A talented cast also features Melanie Masson (The X-Factor) as Esther Pokrifki, Tim Rogers (West Side Story, UK Tour) as Byron Mayo and Olivia Foster-Browne (Grease, West End) as Casey Seegar, plus Lucas Piquero, Chris Breistein, Wendi Harriott, James Wilkinson-Jones andDanny Whelan.
The input of director Nikolai Foster and musical supervisor George Dyer add to an enjoyable production.
All photographs copyright Marc Brenner, reproduced with thanks