West End audiences have shown a huge appetite for jukebox musicals, from Mamma Mia! to Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. The latest addition to the genre is Sinatra The Musical, now playing at the Aldwych Theatre.
Using songs associated with Frank Sinatra, the show follows the singer’s journey from the career slump of the late 1940s to his dramatic comeback after winning an Oscar for From Here to Eternity.
So, is it any good? Well, rather like the curate’s egg… good in parts.
Essentially, our titular hero tells us (rather than sings to us) that he wants to be successful. Already married and with children, the Sinatra portrayed here decides, while still in his thirties, to leave his family on the East Coast and head west in pursuit of a film career. There, he embarks on a series of affairs with Hollywood starlets, repeatedly deceiving his wife before ultimately leaving her for Ava Gardner. Their whirlwind romance and marriage prove no more stable than his first.
Along the way, he clashes with journalists, flirts with the Mafia and drinks heavily. At his lowest point, he contemplates suicide and discharges a firearm in a hotel room. Redemption comes when he secures the role of Private Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity – a part reportedly secured through Ava Gardner’s intervention. Taking a dramatic pay cut from the $150,000 he had previously commanded to just $8,000, Sinatra nevertheless wins an Oscar, reviving his career just as rock and roll threatens to render him obsolete.
The show makes determined efforts to portray Sinatra sympathetically, though it is not always entirely successful.
This whole confection is brought together by writer Joe DiPietro, whose earlier work has often been highly accomplished. Unfortunately, this is not among his finest achievements. The book is frequently clunky, offering little depth or characterisation, while the integration of the songs into the narrative can at times feel rather forced.
On the positive side, Gareth Valentine’s arrangements are excellent and, with a 17-piece big band on stage, the theatre positively vibrates with musical energy.
Joel Harper-Jackson is certainly more physically imposing than the youthful Sinatra and delivers an impressive performance as the legendary singer. However, he is hampered by the relatively narrow emotional palette afforded to him by the script and by Sinatra’s trademark crooning style. Showing considerably greater emotional range is Phoebe Panaretos as Sinatra’s long-suffering wife. Jenna Russell, meanwhile, is criminally underused as Sinatra’s mother, despite being given some of the evening’s sharpest lines.
The costumes are bright and stylish, the choreography sharp and engaging, and while the sets occasionally feel a little underpowered, one cannot have everything.
Harry Sever as conductor is not involved in this production.
To conclude, Sinatra The Musical did not entirely win me over, but it is clearly aimed at an audience with a deep affection for Sinatra’s music and life story. For those admirers, there is undoubtedly much to enjoy.
Sinatra The Musical
Director: Kathleen Marshall
Book: Joe DiPietro
Music: Various, as sung by Frank Sinatra
Cast includes: Joel Harper-Jackson,Ana Villafane, Phoebe Panaretos, Jenna Russell, Marty Maguire, Liz Zarrett and full supporting cast.
Dates: Opening night, Thursday June 24th.
Running time: 150 minutes, 1 x 15 minute interval
Date Seen: Thursday 24th June
Photography by Birgit and Ralf Brinkhoff.