23 September – 28 October
Despite not dwelling too much on the grittier aspects of Sinatra’s life – though we do have a fleeting moment with the mafia – Sinatra The Musical swoops through the first half of Sinatra’s life with all the skill and elegance of a Hollywood musical. It dexterously leads us through key moments, both personal and professional, in a breathless stream packing in as much of his colourful story as possible.
The music is, of course, to die for and when you have the pick of the Great American Songbook (most of which Sinatra recorded at some point) then you can’t go wrong. Couple that with a blisteringly brilliant band under the buoyant direction of Gareth Valentine whose soaring sound was worth the entrance fee alone (and who treated us to what appeared to be a couple of impromptu bonus tracks at the end) then you have something special. ‘Come Fly With Me’ is delightfully used to chart Sinatra’s various amours in Hollywood and becomes a joyous trio with Lana Turner, Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich.
Joe Pipietro’s book deftly weaves the songs into the story dropping them into well-chosen moments to under pin the drama. He also uses Nelson Riddle’s advice on tempo (mentioned later in the show) by employing a flurry of vignettes followed by longer, solid scenes. The tempo of the first gets us excited, the tempo of the second relaxes us nicely. the techniques seduce us perfectly.
Frank is safe in the hands of the engagingly talented all-rounder Matt Doyle, who, though not seeking an out an out impersonation, certainly creates a clear impression of the boss which is both delightful and entertaining. Able support is offered by Ana Villafané as Ava Gardner and Phoebe Panaretos as Nancy Sinatra both of whom easily hold their own in a male-dominated era and it’s a joy to see such strong and hefty parts for women being written.
Kathleen Marshall’s slick and faultless direction offers us a thoroughly assured and imaginative production. Paul Groothus’ sound was stunning and the Birmingham Rep offers the perfect launch pad for this production.
A short, yet outstanding cameo from Billie Holliday in a stunning incarnation by Ryesha Higgs, was the icing on the cake. Sinatra and Holliday in a bar at quarter to three, singing the duet they never got to sing in life, crackled with poignant electricity ending with Holliday/Higgs strolling off into the night and, let’s hope, straight into her own bio-musical.
There’s a lifetime of Sinatra classics to choose from but only one triumphant anthemic number could end this show perhaps predicting this show’s future flying to the moon and splashing down in New York, New York.
The joyous response from the audience and deserved standing ovation testifies to this show’s outstanding achievement. You really need to see it!
★★★★★ Sam Bolton 4 October 2023
Photo credit @ Manuel Harlan
