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Shakil Hussain as Frank & Nina Wadia as Gemma in NOW That's What I Call A Musical, credit Pamela Raith
Shakil Hussain as Frank & Nina Wadia as Gemma in NOW That's What I Call A Musical, credit Pamela Raith

NOW! That’s What I Call A Musical: Review

Home » Reviews » NOW! That’s What I Call A Musical: Review

Cast your mind back to the days before streaming platform playlists. If that’s before your time, the staging will give you a hint. Tom Rogers and Toots Butcher’ set places the action within a big box of blank tapes that frame the stage.

Yes, we’re back in the days when compiling your favourite hits meant having to quickly press play and record on a cassette player while listening to the chart show on the radio. Sounds like hard work. The record companies thought so too, and in 1983 they did the job for us by compiling all the top tunes of the year on one album – Now That’s What I Call Music.

That album of albums is now in its fifth decade, having spawned 116 different editions and more than 120 million sales. Now Music is the ultimate jukebox album, so it was only a matter of time before it became the soundtrack to its own jukebox musical.

LtoR Emily Barnett-Salter, Nikita Johal, Matthew Mori, Martha Pothen, Molly Cheesley, Lauren Hendricks & Poppy Tierney, credit Pamela Raith
LtoR Emily Barnett-Salter, Nikita Johal, Matthew Mori, Martha Pothen, Molly Cheesley, Lauren Hendricks & Poppy Tierney, credit Pamela Raith

The theme of the night is nostalgia and what better way to start a trip down memory lane than a school reunion. The class of ’89 are back together for a karaoke sing-a-long – a reminder that bedroom singing rarely gets any better and their lives didn’t quite turn out as their teenage selves imagined.

Centre stage are two friends, Gemma and April, except for the whole first act the real friendship is between Gemma and her brother, Frank, who despite never leaving Birmingham seem like they’ve walked into a parallel universe. Who are these people they used to go to school with and how did they grow up to be so rude?

Thankfully EastEnders’ star Nina Wadia’s immensely likeable Gemma and her easy relationship with brother Frank (Shakil Hussain) sit like a fully considered album among this chaotic mix.

Gemma’s teenage memories are acted out by an energetic pair, Nikita Johal as younger Gemma and Maia Hawkins, making a confident stage debut as younger April.

Maia Hawkins as Younger April, Luke Latchman as Younger Frank & Nikita Johal as Younger Gemma in NOW That's What I Call A Musical, credit Pamela Raith
Maia Hawkins as Younger April, Luke Latchman as Younger Frank & Nikita Johal as Younger Gemma in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, credit Pamela Raith

Pippa Evans’ lightly comic script is littered with popular culture references from 80s films like Dirty Dancing and Karate Kid to adverts for Walls sausages and Potato Waffles – in case you forgot, they’re waffly versatile. And like the Now albums there is a pick and mix of 80s hits, sung just long enough to give us the best bits before the cast are off to something else.

Strictly Judge, Craig Revel Horwood’s direction and choreography sticks strongly to the dreamscape theme, bringing ballroom couples and impressive lifts into this backstreet boozer. In other scenes memorable 80s music videos merge with real-life, setting the audience up for the surreal moments later when we get to meet glittering guest star, Sonia (playing herself) – whose voice is still strong and who sings her hits just as you remember them.

Nina Wadia as April & Sam Bailey as April in NOW That's What I Call A Musical, credit Rich Southgate
Nina Wadia as April & Sam Bailey as April in NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, credit Rich Southgate

The pace picks up in the second act with fairy godmother Sonia and the return of long-lost friend, April in the form of X-Factor winner, Sam Bailey. Hearing the two of them you almost want to shout at the stage – Now! That’s what I call a singer.

Better the Devil you Know, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Video Killed the Radio Star, Tainted Love, Hey Mickey and Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves are just some of the many hits in this new comedy musical. Guest stars elsewhere on the tour include Sinitta, Sonia, T’Pau’s Carol Decker and Toyah Willcox.

NOW! That’s What I Call A Musical is at the Opera House, Manchester from 28 January to 1 February 2025.

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Written by
Carmel Thomason
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Avatar photo Written by Carmel Thomason