British Musicals: ‘Club
Tropicana – The Musical’ (2019)
Book by Michael
Gyngell,
Music & Lyrics - Various
History
‘Club Tropicana
– The Musical’ is a 1980s jukebox musical written by
actor, writer and director, Michael Gyngell, who previously
co-adapted the Cliff Richard film musical ‘Summer Holiday’
into a stage musical. He also wrote ‘Close Encounters’, a
new musical which was performed at Century City, Los Angeles. (He was
also part of the choir in the original West End production of ‘Joseph
and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ in 1973). The show
features 24 1980s pop classics from artists such as ABC, Cyndi
Lauper, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, a-ha, Culture Club, Bucks Fizz and
Depeche Mode, all performed with a live band on stage. However,
despite the title it does not feature ‘Club Tropicana’, as George
Michael’s estate refused to grant the rights (possibly due to
future plans for a ‘Wham’ musical). The show is written around
its star, Joe McElderry, the 2009 ‘X Factor’ winner, and the
original cast also features Kate Robbins (‘Dinnerladies’),
Sugababe Amelle Berrrabah, Neil McDermott (‘EastEnders’,
‘Doctor Who: The Next Doctor’), and Emily Tierney
(‘Eugenius’). The show is due to tour the UK from January
2019 to August 2019.
Story
Welcome to the vibrant
Club Tropicana Hotel- the 1980s answer to Love Island, where
the drinks are free (but just the first one). When a budding bride
and groom get cold feet, they decide to jet off to sunnier climes and
feel the heat– but little do they know they’ve both checked into
the same hotel...
The sizzling summer season at the Club Tropicana sees drinks flowing and tans glowing. Will our young lovers decide to go through with the wedding? Will the hotel inspectors finally get their way and close the resort, or will the staff, led by Entertainment Manager, Garry, save the day ?
The sizzling summer season at the Club Tropicana sees drinks flowing and tans glowing. Will our young lovers decide to go through with the wedding? Will the hotel inspectors finally get their way and close the resort, or will the staff, led by Entertainment Manager, Garry, save the day ?
In A Nutshell
“Castaways and Lovers
meet,
Then kiss in Tropicana's heat”
Then kiss in Tropicana's heat”
Production
I caught the press
night at the New
Wimbledon Theatre. The audience was full of people in
eighties clothes and Hawaiian shirts. Following an opening scene in
which Lorraine (Karina Hind) called off her wedding to Olly (Cellen
Chugg Jones), by phoning him at the church on his brick-like mobile
phone, the scene changed to the Club Tropicana, the proposed
honeymoon venue, where both bride and groom had each decided to go to
anyway, each with two friends. Following a brief piece of audience
participation, in which Garry (Joe McElderry) taught us all a dance
routine to ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’, and the show proper
started, with a focus on the Club’s owners, Robert (Neil McDermott)
and Serena (Amelle Berrabah), potential hotel inspector Christine
(Emily Tierney) Garry, and ‘comedy Spanish cleaner’ Consuela
(Kate Robbins), the latter two getting the majority of the very
funny, slightly risqué lines. The plot played to two of its stars
strengths with Joe getting to sing a large number of the songs, and
Kate getting to do several of her impressions. In fact at some points
it seemed as if they were both in a panto, whilst the others were in
a musical. Emily also had great fun in making repeated jokes about
Joe’s lack of stature. Having somehow managed to avoid meeting for
the majority of Act 1, Lorraine and Olly were finally reunited for
the cliffhanger leading into the interval. The second act was more of
the same, and the show ended with a double wedding and a megamix of
eighties hits.
Very, very funny !!!
And with all the eighties hits, right up my street.
Club Tropicana –
The Musical runs at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 27th
April 2019. It then tours to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (29 Apr –
4 May), Coventry Belgrade Theatre (7 – 11 May), Oxford New
Theatre (13 – 18 May), Sunderland Empire Theatre (20 – 25 May),
Manchester Opera House (3 – 8 Jun), Edinburgh Playhouse (11 – 15
Jun), Canterbury Marlowe Theatre (17 – 22 Jun), Llandudno Venue
Cymru (24 – 29 Jun), Liverpool Empire (1 – 6 Jul), Nottingham
Theatre Royal (8 – 13 Jul), Southampton Mayflower Theatre (22 –
27 Jul), Dublin Bord Gais Energy Theatre (30 Jul – 3 Aug),
Inverness Eden Court (5-10 Aug), and Cardiff Millennium Centre (13 –
17 Aug)
Favourite Song
Anything sung by the
wonderful Kate Robbins, in particular her take on “I Could Be So
Good For You” (the Dennis Waterman-penned ‘Minder’ theme).
Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?
No, there wasn't one available and I've got all the songs on various 80s compilations.
Links
Production Website:
https://clubtropicanamusical.com/
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