★★★★
Girl meets boy, boy meets girl. It’s a tale as old as time...
Photo by Marc Brenner
But here – the boy is training to serve his country. Oh, no we have heard that one before. But that’s what makes An Officer and a Gentleman the perfect page-to-screen-to-stage show; it’s nostalgic (helped by a delicious soundtrack), it's romantic, and frustratingly, it’s as though not very much has changed.
Here navy officer candidates and factory girls alike dream of climbing the ranks. They scale a towering staircase, but unbeknownst to them – they’re trapped in the constraints of wire mesh walls, making up motels and dive bars that help pass the time. Bright yellow metal bunk beds and workstations add a pop of colour in Michael Taylor’s brutalist design; which pairs perfectly with director Nikolai Foster's gritty take on the beloved story, and is perused by officers in crisp white uniforms (swoon) and romantics in red sweetheart dresses and denim minis.
Fluorescent neon lights and hazy smoke fill the stage, with the band, led by Christopher Duffy, evoking a sense of downtown LA. There's a gig energy that powers the cast's effortlessly rocky vocals and it sounds brilliant. Across the board there’s an ease with the showmanship – the cast join each other on stage to sing back-up and the simple but tight technique punctuates the jukebox of 80s rock n roll classics in Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen’s book. A Cyndi Lauper bop soundtracks a fun girls’ night out, “Kids in America” is given a sinister twist, and the use of “Toy Soldiers” is pretty inspired.
There’s a gritty, fizzing undertone throughout – like crackling electricity. Dogs bark and dizzying radio orders surround the auditorium (Tom Marshall on sound design), exposing spotlights crash into darkness in testing drills (Ben Cracknell on lighting design) and the choreography (by Joanna Goodwin) is rigorous in parts with some epic fight scenes. Facing his neglected childhood is Zack Mayo, Luke Baker plays the loveable rogue with charm and swagger, being ground down by his sergeant (played by Chris Breistein at this performance) and navigating complicated relationships with his counterparts.
In the post-war state, the youngsters live in the shadows of alcoholism and abuse. But there’s the glow of hope and opportunity – Paula (a beautiful Georgia Lennon) dreams of becoming a nurse, her best friend Lynette (a fun Sinead Long) eager to leave Floria, Sid (Paul French in a gut-wrenching turn, IYKYK) falling in love for the first time, and Casey (a formidable Olivia Foster-Browne) who aims to make history as the first female to “fly jets”.
An Officer and a Gentleman has earned its wings as a new musical. Add it to your must-see again-and-again rotation.
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