Review: SINATRA THE MUSICAL, Birmingham Rep
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
Sinatra the Musical. A show all about the man, the legend, the voice- Frank Sinatra.
Written by Joe DiPietro (Memphis), Sinatra tells the story of the iconic crooner’s early life in the industry and his rise to unimaginable heights.
With that songbook, that creative team and a cast including Broadway alumni Matt Doyle and Ana Villafañe, it’s safe to say we were VERY excited to see this show.
If we are honest Besties, we found the show difficult viewing at times. Sinatra the Musical has the bright lights, the BEAUTIFUL big band orchestra and an awesome old school set designed by Peter McKintosh but as a whole, the book is in need of some serious reworking. In a show about an icon like Frank, we understand that there should be moments where his flaws are highlighted, but it seems to us like the whole show is based around it.
For the entirety of the first half, we watch our protagonist cheat on his wife and stay away from his kids frequently with seemingly no remorse…no emotion about it at all, in fact. Due to his constant toxic behaviour, he falls out of favour with his family, the press and the public and by the time the first act ends and he belts out the slobber knocker of a song that is ‘That’s Life’, we found that we weren’t rooting for the character because for the whole first act, he acts like a shallow adulterous wretch. Now, we realise that no one is perfect and we all have flaws and make mistakes, and it isn’t the fact that he did morally questionable things that is so jarring, it is that his womanising and unfaithfulness seems to be the focal point, and the flawed parts of the story overshadow the success story quite considerably.
There are a couple of comments thrown into the script to try and mention some of the more favourable sides of Frank’s nature, but not enough to balance it out. It seems like they are just put in there tactfully to make sure we don’t despise the character entirely. We realise this is a different era but when we go from seeing his sad young daughter speaking to her dad over the phone, to the next scene seeing him talking about honeymooning in Havana with Ava Gardener, it’s hard to build a positive relationship with the character. The story barrels on through at times and the heart of the show, we think, has still yet to be found.
That’s not to say the show is without potential. Playing the role of Sinatra is Matt Doyle, a highly talented performer. He has all of the ingredients you needed for the role; charisma, great singing and acting to boot, and once the book goes through considerable reworking, we think he could be a wonderful fit.
Phoebe Panaretos is stunning as Nancy Sinatra. She’s the character we found ourself rooting for and has a moment of real strength towards the end that makes us metaphorically fist pump the air (no spoilers). She has a clear journey, and has the ability to break your heart with a few words.
Ana Villiafañe is perfect as Ava Gardner. Oozing every bit the Hollywood star, she gives the role real levels and makes the character alluring, relatable and fierce all in one. Carl Patrick is extremely likeable and entertaining to watch as George Evans, drawing from the audience a great balance of comedy and sympathy. Dawn Buckland and Vincent Riotta are welcome relief as Dolly and Marty Sinatra, Frank’s overbearing mother and man of few words father respectively.
Jon Morrell’s costume design is vibrant and bang on the money, what a gorgeous era for clothing!
Whilst we struggled with the book, the audience seem to absolutely adore it and the show received a rapturous standing ovation at the end last night, which was well earned as the cast work extremely hard.
We can see the show having a bright future, but there needs to be some more light added in and more effortlessly done so, to successfully celebrate the legacy of someone who was yes, a flawed man, but a great man.
The show has some way to go, but we are sure the best is yet to come!
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
Sinatra the Musical plays at Birmingham Rep until 28 October, with further information here.
