This is a weak, underwritten musical about an ambitious young singer who relocates to London with dreams of stardom. His journey thrusts him into the hedonistic world of a Soho nightclub owned by the flamboyant Billie Trix, a former rock star. The storyline intertwines the lives of several characters: Shell, who becomes the young singer’s romantic interest; Mile End Lee, a drug dealer with a complicated past; and Vic, Dave’s manipulative manager. Themes of love, identity, addiction, and the pursuit of dreams are explored.
There are two things about this show which should make it stand out. But, disappointingly, they don’t.
First, the quality of the music. The entire score is written by the Pet Shop Boys. With that pedigree, you’d expect something stunningly good. But the songs are bland, unenticing and unmemorable. Worse, the sound design struggles to balance the backing music with the performers’ vocals, making lyrics difficult to decipher. I spent quite a bit of my time looking three seats to my left, where Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe happened to be sitting (fangirl time), rather than watching the stage.
Second, the quality of the actors. Two of the cast in this tiny theatre are stars. Frances Ruffelle (remember her? The original Fantine – she’s on the original cast recording of Les Miserables) brought energy, chaos and charisma to the role of the club’s headliner Billie Trix. Courtney Bowman, one of our favourite West End performers, shines as Shell, delivering powerful vocals and a nuanced performance. But they cannot rescue a lacklustre plot and underdeveloped characters. Nor can they rescue the lack of chemistry between Shell and Straight Dave, the two romantic leads, or the overuse of camp and chaos.
It’s one to avoid. Sorry.
