An Officer and a Gentleman – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Book: Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen

Director: Nikolai Foster

What is the best part of a musical as an audience member? It would seem obvious that “music” will be a common answer to this question. So why An officer and a gentleman don’t you realize that?

Bringing the film to the stage as a musical jukebox sounds like a brilliant idea. It’s got all the expected fodder, a famous (if very genre-wise) love-it/won’t-they story with some iconic scenes, plus it’s set in the 80s, giving it a whole catalog of fantastic hits from which to choose when choosing the playlist. It seems writer Douglas Day Stewart always wanted it to be a musical too. In this loosely semi-autobiographical tale, naval officer trainees Zack Mayo (Luke Baker) and Sid Worley (Paul French) arrive in America’s rear for their 12-week training course, a brutal task with only brief periods of rest intended to remove the best from the rest. On their first weekend off, they meet Paula (Georgia Lennon) and Lynette (Sinead Long), two factory girls who dream of a better life. Between training montages and nights at the local dive bar, love, determination and heartache combine to propel these four and their families – both found and biological – into a future that may contain the top of flying planes or the bottom of a discarded box . packaging.

At least, we have to assume that’s what’s happening. Unfortunately, it’s hard to hear. Each song is well chosen to engage the audience and for the most part is well integrated into its story point, but for some reason everyone sings along swallowing the words or only announcing half of them (or they can just be drowned out by the loud music ). Dialogue is rushed or barked at a disappointing volume with little room for nuance (or in Lennon’s case, mumbled to the point of obscurity). While the main couples have buckets of chemistry (especially Baker and Lennon), it’s hard to care about them because the plot and dialogue are so thin. And the only really interesting subplot, the story of Casey Seegar (Olivia Foster-Browne, who is too good for this show) who fights to be the first female jet pilot and bumps into Mayo, gets only a few brief mentions before all . suddenly being solved for helping her climb a wall (yes, the woman who sets out to show that she can break the glass ceiling is literally being carried by all the men in her class to get her there. Not a great scene choice) . There is clearly a lot of talent on stage and every actor gives their heart, but either the direction, the musical arrangement, or simply the microphones failed them at every turn. And they all seem bored by it.

Fortunately, the show is redeemed by its staging. Michael Taylor’s costumes manage to be both realistic and beautifully co-ordinated, and it’s not just navy dress white – all the factory girls have a matching style and color palette, but each has their own interpretation and look that says to the audience immediately about their personalities, and the wigs in the opening are so realistic you’d really believe the cadets are quickly shaving their heads between scenes. Joanna Goodwin’s choreography instantly brings every scene into focus, whether it’s In the Navy Now-inspired training on the base, or This is a Man’s World’s factory call-to-arms, or Material Girl’s pink-and-black dream sequence . (although please stop finishing each group number in a flat line looking at the crowd). Ben Cracknell’s cavalcade of heavily ’80s-inspired, almost-laser-looking neon makes the entire show seem like a club night fever dream, and hides a multitude of sins in two lackluster fight sequences. The firefighting simulation is particularly well done here.

If you’re a fan of the film, you’re in for a good night, even if it’s just waiting to see the famous and oft-parodied final scene. If you’re not a fan of the film, you’ll also find things to appreciate. But for a film that lends itself so well to a musical adaptation, it’s just a shame that An officer and a gentleman feels like it should have spent a few more weeks back in basic training before it was allowed to hit theaters.

Runs until Saturday 22 June 2024