You should be so lucky to see this light hearted, show that is two hours of pure fun, dancing and comedy, intertwined with an array of fabulous songs this week at the Sunderland Empire.

Stock, Aitken and Waterman produced some of the biggest hits in the 80’s and early 90’s and these hits still live on today at every retro party, wedding reception and classic hits radio station sung by legends like Kylie, Rick Astley Jason Donovan and more.

So when a musical was announced that incorporated a sensational list of hits I knew I had to see it! I imagined cheese and that’s exactly what I got.

So what storyline could possibly work all these classic hits into a stage show? Well,  Ella (Lucy-Mae Sumner) is due to get married to Nathan (Billy Roberts) but due to a secret he had been told by his grandad he can’t bear to go through with the wedding and jilts the would be bride at the alter.. que  her mum (Melissa Jacques), Nan (Jemma Churchill), bridesmaids (Kayla Carter and Jessica Daley) and gay best friend (Scott Paige)  who say stuff him and all go on the planned honeymoon to Turkey anyhow! 

The groom,  after realising he has been misinformed by his grandad travels to Turkey to win back the love of his life, however now he has some competition in the way of local guide and lothario Nadeem (Matthew Croke). Will Nathan be able to win back the bride or has too much happened? We then see a plethora of characters enter and meet each other finding love along the way. 

This isn’t the strongest storyline you will see but this show is light hearted, fun, full of comedy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characterisation of the cast are just brilliant and each bringing their own glam to the show. If you accept that this is a show for the songs then you’ll quickly get into the swing of it and laugh through what ensues.

Full marks go to the choreography and dress departments as every song has this cast dancing in sync, whilst in an array of colourful outfits. The energy is on show and spreads into the audience. The staging is set pretty much through love hearts and a cgi screen helps to set the backgrounds.

It is a show that relies on the entire cast and I loved the way that the mix of songs carried across all the members who got an opportunity to showcase their vocals. The show features no less than 10 Number 1 singles and over 25 songs from the Hit Factory whose music defined an era.

Lucie-May Sumner was enjoyable as our jilted bride, being guided in the search for her true self by her idol  Kylie Minogue (appearing as herself) as a fairy godmother type through the mirror.

Giovanni Spano (Ash) gets a shoutout from me who is always by Nathan’s (Billy Roberts) side as his best man. I liked his cheeky chappy persona who was guiding this groom back to winning over the bride. Scott Paige was another stand out star. Loud and proud he brought fun and energy to his role. 

Jessica Daley had a voice that caught my attention and wished i heard more of and Kayla Carter had a lovely solo that brought the audience to heavy applause. I could mention everyone as they all contributed hugely and all had their own moments.

I genuinely come out of the theatre feeling like I had a really enjoyable evening out forgetting about your cares. It’s a show you don’t have to think deeply about afterwards, if anything you’ll just be humming your favourite Stock, Aitken and Waterman song all the way home.

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY: THE STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN MUSICAL is written and directed by Debbie Isitt (the hit NATIVITY! franchise), choreographed by Jason Gilkison (Creative Director of Strictly Come Dancing and Eurovision 2023), with orchestrations and musical direction by George Dyer, set and costume design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Ben Harrison, casting by Anne Vosser and production management by Simon Marlow. It is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions.

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY: THE STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN MUSICAL will hit Sunderland Empire’s stage from Monday 22 – Saturday 27 April 2024. Tickets are available online now at www.ATGtickets.com/sunderland*

*A £3.65 transaction fee applies to online bookings

Reviewed by Aaron Whittington

For all of Aarons recent reviews and Interviews click here.

For all our reviews click here

We were gifted tickets to see the show, however views are our own.