Craig Revel Horwood’s latest project, Now That's What I Call a Musical, tours the UK, stopping at The Alhambra where Leo Owen caught the show

Taking inspiration from 40 years of Now That’s What I Call Music compilations, Horwood teams up with writer-comedian Pippa Evans to create a new musical. Tom Rodgers’ set and costumes transport us back to Birmingham in 1989 and a class reunion where Gemma (Nina Wadia) waits with her brother Frank (Shakil Hussain) to be reunited with her childhood bestie, April (Melissa Jacques).

A medley of 80s’ classics accompanied by montage freeze-frames charts the evening’s events as time progresses and the lights dim. Cast sing Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” with music occasionally muted, allowing the audience to eavesdrop on siblings Frank and Gemma reminiscing 20 years on “the same but saggy”.

Evans flashes back from the reunion to teenage years when April wanted to go to Hollywood and die at 27 of a drug overdose, while Gemma was keen to work in healthcare. Characters are dual cast with younger and older versions playing out scenes simultaneously with the ghosts of their former selves in the present. Nikita Johal is teenage Gemma while Maia Hawkins is young April (a phenomenal stage debut), frolicking in school uniform to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.

The reunion’s pub backdrop easily becomes a bedroom, kitchen, apartment and video shop with a few set pieces wheeled on. Before beginning her shift at “The Planet of the Tapes”, April listens to The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” on her Walkman, accompanied by choreographed dancers in zany costumes. John Parr’s “St Elmo’s Fire” is another memorable number, nicely duetted by the younger April and Gemma, capturing the feelings of excitement and possibility often felt at 18. Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling” perfectly encapsulates first love and the moment Gemma met Tim (Blake Tuke), made all the more memorable by Horwood’s cast pulling off the infamous Dirty Dancing lift. Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule to World” and Erasure’s “Little Respect” are more low energy reflective numbers.

Likely to appeal to audience members of a certain age, Now That’s What I Call a Musical is certainly nostalgic and, although poignant at times, fun to watch. Vocals occasionally miss the mark but in the first act can be excused by the number of karaoke scenes or songs performed by inebriated characters. Unfortunately, this same defence can not be applied to later songs with an especially shrill reprise of St Elmo’s Fire amid some slightly melodramatic plot lines. A random appearance from Jay Osmond singing “Crazy Horses” is an odd interlude, feeling shoe-horned; very tenuously linking to the teen Gemma’s crush, Osmond’s arrival is met with audience member’s whoops of delight.

Among more frivolous references to mullets and Liebfraumilch, Now That’s What I Call a Musical explores friendship, relationships, family, dreams and the negative impact of ageing. Despite a long running time, it whizzes by and offers fun escapism from the daily grind.

Now That's What I Call a Musical showed at The Alhambra 15th-19th October before continuing its tour: https://musicalsontour.co.uk/now-thats-what-i-call-a-musical/