By Neil Durham
WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2
WHEN?: Monday 11 March 2024, opens 26 March and runs through 27 July 2024 RUNTIME: 160 minutes (including a 20-minute interval)
Hats off to Sheridan Smith (Shirley Valentine, Duke Of York’s Theatre) for fully embracing the role of the leading lady who turns up drunk for her opening night because that must feel uncomfortably close to home.
- Read on for reasons including how Smith needed more memorable songs to make this show fly
Smith took a break from performing in Funny Girl at the Savoy in 2016 after a show was cancelled mid-performance amid reports she was slurring her words following her father’s cancer diagnosis.
We’re in the 3rd row of this 5th preview of Rufus Wainwright‘s 1st musical which is an adaptation of 1977 film Opening Night with Smith playing actress Myrtle who is trying to find her character ahead of a Broadway show opening.
The best bit of this challenging musical is when Wainwright goes Pet Shop Boys for a full-on throbbing electro song about the benefits of being young including fearlessness sung to her by the ghost of a 17-year-old fan, an impressively sinister Shira Haas, from Netflix’s Bodies making her West End debut.
But our main problem with Opening Night is its lack of memorable songs allowing its star to let loose in doing what she does best which is to sing impressively and make her audience feel the emotions she is going through as she did in Funny Girl.
We come closest to this in song Magic – about finding the ‘Magic from the tragic’ – which is so needed in this show that it is performed twice. Closer On Broadway isn’t bad either but feels a little tacked on.
Opening Night is directed by Ivo van Hove (A Little Life, Harold Pinter Theatre) who allows us to see the drama backstage with a band playing in 1 corner and whose onstage camera work will remind of the far superior Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy although van Hove already did it in All About Eve (Noel Coward Theatre).
Smith is surrounded by familiar faces including Hadley Fraser (2.22 A Ghost Story, Noel Coward Theatre) as her infuriating director and Amy Lennox (Cabaret, Kit Kat Club) as the wife he seeks advice from.
Musicals or indeed plays about the creative process may be fascinating for those within the theatre world but for many in the audience the joy is in appreciating the end product rather than the struggle those involved went through to get there.
Smith’s Myrtle has a difficult relationship with the show’s writer played by Nicola Hughes and eventually seems to settle on the difficulties of ageing as the key to unlock its subject matter.
Unfortunately this play-within-a-play structure and the conceit of having a documentary crew filming the action displayed on a screen above the stage means many at this preview felt that there was just too much going on to fully appreciate the show.
- Main picture via Facebook courtesy DMT
- Have you seen a Sheridan Smith show before and are what did you think of this production? Tickets
- Let us know what you thought in the comments below
- Enjoyed this review? Follow monstagigz on Twitter @NeilDurham, email neildurham3@gmail.com and check us out on Instagram and Facebook
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saw it last Friday hated it. Far too much going on too many screens to look at. Strobe effect went on for 6 or 7 minutes which is no good if you have epilepsy it triggaredxacmigrane for me. Sheridan Smith is brilliant but I agree no memorable songs and no showstopper.
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Saw it last night. Didn’t like it at all and the fact that many people around us didn’t come back after the intetval/walked out during the second half seemed to suggest that others felt the same. Saw Sheridan Smith in Legally Blonde many years ago and loved it. Screens distracting and strobe effect went on for too long
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I saw the show yesterday evening. My reason for going to see it was that I admire Sheridan Smith in every role she plays. A brilliant actress, singer and performer. However, apart from Sheridan I’m afraid this show left me confused and cold. I wanted to get it so badly but failed to see the point. Hopefully with some clever editing of scenes and more show stopping songs from Rufus Wainwright it might just work. Otherwise it may only be a show for “luvvies”
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Worse play I’ve ever seen. Sheridan is a great actress and should never have taken the role when she’s so much better than this.
It’s confusing, boring, drab music, nothing makes sense, depressing and laughable all at once. An endurance that was difficult to bear.
Saw quite a few people leave at half time and inbetween and the talk in the toilet queue was much the same as I felt. I went with 6 members of my family all of which were of the same opinion. Ruined my birthday theatre surprise.
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Agree with all above comments, a poor use of Sheridan Smiths talents. No point in the story and far too much going on. Did like the fact they went outside but overall a wasted experience. People left at the interval.
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Saw this play tonight. In my opinion: confusing/baffling ‘plot’; directionless – no beginning, middle, conclusion; unlikeable characters; overblown performances all round; a vehicle, I felt, for Sheridan Smith (an actor of immense talent whom I respect from previous performances on TV and stage); left me feeling agitated and baffled. Has Sheridan Smith followed her ego into this play? I can’t think of any other reason why she would have taken it on.
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There are a few messy bits (yes the strobe section was dated and boring) but otherwise I really enjoyed it – there’s a lot of innovation here. Nice to see some risks being taken in the West End. It’s probably not for everyone, but I liked the original film so was expecting it to be pretty dark – all things considered they pulled a blinder with this interpretation. I’d recommend it, as long as you go in expecting it to be a bit bonkers. It was fun!
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Saw it last night and would not have bothered had the super Sheridan Smith not been in it.That said,i was not too impressed and witnessed a few musical directors sat around me making notes throughout which i have never seen before.It felt like a college performace being marked by the teachers.
Top drawer cast performing remarkably but it just got slightly boring and failed to keep me gripped.
Think it will die a death.
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“Opening Night” was a poor play overall. The storyline lacked coherence, and the execution felt amateurish. The pacing was off, and the dialogue failed to engage the audience. Despite potential, the production fell flat, leaving spectators disappointed and underwhelmed.
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Yes saw it last night. Sheridan was brilliant such a talented actress but failed to understand the play . Too much going on. Some people left after the interval. But Sheridan did get a standing ovation . Cant see this show lasting long. Very drab . No beginning middle or end. Music was not something you would remember
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