An Officer and a Gentleman the musical, Congress Theatre, Eastbourne

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

Author

  • Tony Flood

    Author Tony Flood, who lives in Eastbourne, has spent most of his working life as a journalist, initially on local and regional papers and then on nationals. He was also editor of 'Football Monthly', Controller of Information at Sky Television and enjoyed a spell with 'The People.' In his celebrity book My Life With The Stars - Sizzling Secrets Spilled', Tony recalls: “My work as a showbiz and leisure writer, critic and editor saw me take on a variety of challenges - learning to dance with Strictly Come Dancing star Erin Boag, becoming a stand-up comedian and playing football with the late George Best and Bobby Moore in charity matches.” My Life With The Stars provides revelations and amusing anecdotes about showbiz and sports personalities including Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, George Best, Kylie Minogue, Eric Morecambe and Des O'Connor. Tony also writes in other genres and his crime thrillers have been endorsed by best-selling author Peter James. They are Triple Tease, Stitch Up - Killer or Victim? and Fall Guy - who really killed his wife?, and all feature compassionate copper DCI Harvey Livermore. In addition, there's a fantasy adventure for youngsters called Secret Potion and a book Tony has co-written with wife Heather, aptly titled Laughs and Tears Galore - short stories and poems with twists! Recently, Tony joined The Collective of seven local writers all contributing one character to family saga Driven by Desire, which is full of conflict, fierce ambition and passion as well as a dramatic kidnap. Tony also writes theatre reviews for the Eastbourne Herald, Brighton Argus and BourneFree Live, as well as playing veterans football for Sovereign Harbour Veterans. He is the oldest - and slowest - player in the team.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *