Wild About You - Drury Lane

Wow! It's disappointing to read these negative comments.

Well I may be in the minority here but I very much enjoyed it. Affordable tickets, keeping a theatre open for a couple of nights that would normally be dark and a really wonderful cast.

See the post last night from esteveyb, that pretty much covers it.

Having been duly warned by the above posts, I enjoyed some of the first half, basically everything Oliver Tompsett related.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I loved Rachel Tucker singing "What I'm Here to Find," at the climax of the first half, which she belted out passionately, and which sounded like a cover of Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn."

It was slightly unintentionally comedic that she spent the whole first half wondering what she needed to find, while Jamie Muscato, playing her son, popped up behind a pane of glass every time she was wondering. I wanted to shout "He's BEHIND you!" But wasn't confident enough that it was a pantomime to actually do it.

Anyhow, the structure of the first half was the same as Nye at the National, pinched from "The Singing Detective," with a deathbed character in their jammies, looking back on what meant the most in their lives and singing about it.

By and large, the book for the first half fell flat, as Tucker's character felt universally desirable, with everyone begging for her attention, and her spoiled for choice.

The exception to the rule was Oliver Tompsett's lover character's two appearances as Tucker's baby daddy. Stubbled, with unkempt hair, his gentle husky voice built steadily in joyous rapture, grabbing Tucker's hand, and pulling her across and around the stage into a romance which worked a turn on Tucker's Olivia's standoffish character, until, both open mouthed, from an inch away (I hope they remembered their breath mints) they gave each other the full "Islands in The Stream" Dolly Parton-Kenny Rogers style connection that felt like actual drama.

And indeed, they got to fall in love twice, once before and once after conceiving a child, with both such scenes involving and utterly charming.

Unfortunately, all the other scenes in the first half, involving McCormack's husband character and Tori Allen-Martin's other lover character, were completely one note, with the spurned lovers moaning and Tucker's protagonist uninterested and unengaged. Consequently, the book for the first half was mostly lifeless.

I'd give the first half 2 and a half stars for the Tompsett-Tucker scenes which were charming, loveable and engaging.

I am on my way home from it now. Most of my row either left or moved at the interval

It was ok. Story just seemed to finish and there was so much that could have been done to develop the characters. I mean why was Olivia in hospital in the first place?

I saw most of the usual Twitter theatre reviewers in the foyer at the interval so will be interesting to see what they say about it

I hope that Rachel gets a different costume for her next show… two shows, same costume just a different colour tonight

2.5 stars

I don’t know why you pseudo critics were being so negative. I saw the show on Monday and thought it was great. I, along with 95% of the audience stood up and cheered at the end. Great singing, good music and a very enjoyable show. I would certainly recommend it if it comes back to the west end.

I'm going against the grain here but I quite enjoyed it. Not the best I've seen but certainly not the worst either. Yes the story is a mess and quite confusing but I quite liked the music (I've got the concept album so already knew the music) but the cast made the show for me. Rachel Tucker excellent as always and Jamie Muscato has such a lovely voice. He looked so young in this. Rest of the cast great too and, although I know nothing about Todrick Hall, I thought he was rather funny.
Slight niggle for me was the blocking. There was a table and chairs at the front of the stage for part of Act 1 and all of Act 2 which blocked my view from where I sat in the front stalls. So missed some of the performance.
Highlight for me was sitting next to Jac Yarrow and Bonnie Langford. Had a little chat with them in the interval when I came over a bit fan boy but they were genuinely friendly and had a nice chat about Pippin and Rachel Tuckers liking for wearing a nightdress on stage.

I stood because I wanted to watch the bows and the person in front of me was stood up getting their stuff to leave, barely anyone around us was stood. I certainly wasn’t giving it an ovation. As Being Alive said, it’s hardly a barometer of if something is good or not these days.

I think most people that stood tonight were either standing to leave or to applaud the cast, can’t believe many stood for the show itself.

I am still not over how bad the lyrics for this were. There were literally full of every single cheesy clichee and then felt like someone took a rhyming book to group them together and then repeated them at least 10 times. I and people around me sniggered a lot, I cried with laughter at unintentially funny/bad lyrics twice.
And the book was dire, too.
If this wants to go anywhere, every single word that has been written for the show needs scrapping and writing from scratch.

Also soooo much unnecessary belting in the score, which leading lady is supposed to sing this 8 times a week in a proper run of the show without effin’ up her vocal chords? (Though I dare say I doubt any leading lady has to worry about this issue any time soon….).

The music was passable but the only upside of the evening really was some of the cast, doing their best with what they were given. I’d give this 2 stars at best.

Methinks the new member (who has only made two posts, both re this show) doth protest too much…

Lovely to have someone involved talking about it though.

Absolutely as above, although I'd rate it Jamie Muscato, Oliver Tompsett and Rachel Tucker in that order; Rachel was a bit shouty in the first song for me and I then hit the same vibe throughout afterwards.   Without these three, making up half the cast, the show would have been properly grim.

Overall, it was just so *GLUM*!  There are musical shows that have death and heartbreak at their centre that will (usually) have a little lightness, a little charm, to them.  Love Story.  Blood Brothers.  Love Never Dies.  But this was just unending gloom without a super song to hang its hat on.