REVIEW: Ushers, Arts Theatre ✭✭✭✭

Ushers: The Front of House Musical

Arts Theatre

15th September

4 Stars

The idea of a play within a play is as old as time itself. Whether it’s the farce of The Play That Goes Wrong, the showbiz desperation of A Chorus Line or the quasi-historical cuteness of Shakespeare in Love, it’s a tried and tested backdrop for all manner of stories. However, nobody has yet shone a light on the ushers, the unsung heroes of any good theatre. That is until now, thanks to Ushers: The Front of House Musical, playing at the Arts Theatre in Leicester Square.

The show shines a torch (ba dum tish) on the ushers and managers at a London theatre whilst it’s showing a dreadful looking Britney jukebox musical. A combination of aspiring actors, failed performers and theatre superfans, they toil under the reign of terror of Robin, their high camp and tyrannical boss. The ushers fall in and out of love with each other and come to terms with the fact that their stepping stone job may be more permanent than they thought.

James Rottger’s script zips with energy and is at times both funny and tender. Objectively, a group of ushers shouldn’t be an interesting enough premise for a musical but this show just about makes it work. However, the script is absolutely riddled with (admittedly funny) theatrical in-jokes, which worked wonders on a thespy press night crowd, but I did wonder how many would land with the average punter. It also has a happy ending so clean and neat that you may have to suspend your disbelief somewhere in the foyer on arrival.

The score, from James Oban and Yinannis Koutsakos, is very pleasant, although some of the soaring solo ballads get a tad samey, despite being very well performed. However, there are some brilliant numbers; particularly The Parts I Could Play, where Stephen sings about his coveted roles and Interval Preparation, where the ushers lament some of their most awkward customers (including those pesky critics). These numbers are both high-tempo affairs with clever lyrics and some cute theatrical references.

Vocally, the cast is perfect across the board, with no weak links whatsoever. The two love interests Stephen (Cameron Sharp) and Lucy (Corrine Priest) particularly impress, putting in the two most affable and natural performances. Sharp makes brilliant work of The Parts I Could Play, peppering a fine vocal performance with a fun range of impressions. Priest is similarly strong and endearing during Dreams and Ice Creams, where Lucy sings about her West End dreams.

Feuding gay couple Gary (Ben Fenner) and Ben (Rory Maguire) share some sweet scenes together although are given a bit of a raw deal with their allotted songs. Nonetheless, they both have strong voices and make for a believable couple.

Crazed boss Robin (Harry Stone) and stalkerish Rosie (Alexandra Parkes) were both played with manic hyperactivity, which became quite tiring and veered into overacting at times. Despite this, Stone has a stunning voice, with a deep and powerful vibrato which made his solo number a total delight.

He was also very funny during the instructional video clips that appeared throughout the play, showing perhaps the character is better in small doses. Another clever staging device was that latecomers were ushered in by the… ushers to great comic effect (if you are the sort of person who is rarely on time, you don’t want to be late to this!).

This inventiveness, as well as some first-class performances, helped make Ushers a very enjoyable night. However, its frequent theatrical references and in-jokes mean you need some level of background knowledge to really get the most out of it. For this reason, whilst it will never be a mass market crowd pleaser, I could easily see Ushers becoming a cult hit.

Ushers: The Front Of House Musical runs at the Arts Theatre until 18 October 2015