There’s a lot riding on a show like this. Frank Sinatra is one of those names that arrives with so much attached to it – the music, the movies, the complicated personal life – that any theatrical retelling has its work cut out. But Sinatra The Musical rises to the occasion, and it’s a very enjoyable night out.
The story opens on New Year’s Eve 1942, with a 27-year-old Italian American about to make his mark on musical history. The show follows Sinatra’s meteoric rise, the strain it puts on his marriage to Nancy, the affair with Ava Gardner that sent his career off a cliff, and the determination that brought him back.
Joel Harper-Jackson is excellent in the lead. He doesn’t look much like Sinatra, but it quickly stops mattering as his vocals are outstanding, and he makes the role his own. The hits come regularly throughout: Come Fly With Me, That’s Life, One For My Baby, Fly Me to the Moon among them. The live band, supervised by Gareth Valentine, is one of the highlights of the evening – seventeen musicians filling the theatre with proper big-band sound. If you go for nothing else, go for the music.
The supporting cast adds plenty. Jenna Russell is very funny as Dolly Sinatra, Frank’s larger-than-life mother, and she gets some of the best moments in the show. Ana Villafáñe brings real presence to Ava Gardner, and Phoebe Panaretos makes sure Nancy is nobody’s doormat. The ensemble work well across the board, with almost every member getting their turn as a recognisable face from the era – Adam Davidson’s Gene Kelly tap sequence was a favourite across the audience. The costumes and set design are striking too, all mid-century glamour and sliding panels.
The show doesn’t try to tell the whole story, it’s really a snapshot of Sinatra’s life. Sinatra’s more complicated edges – the Mafia connections, the Civil Rights work – are either skimmed over or left out entirely, and some of the cameos from famous contemporaries feel more like window dressing than anything with real weight. The timeline wraps up at his Oscar win for From Here to Eternity, so if you’re hoping for songs from Guys and Dolls or High Society, they’re not here. Whether that bothers you will probably depend on how much of a Sinatra devotee you are. It’s more of a fond tribute than a fully rounded biography but for a general audience wanting a great night out rather than a history lesson, it works absolutely fine.
The show closes with a brilliant rendition of New York, New York as the encore, which was technically written decades after the period the show covers. It’s a rousing finish and sends everyone out into the night in a very good mood.
