You Should Be So Lucky

I walked in to see a beautifully detailed Chinese themed set and thought “Will the show live up to this quality?” I was very happy when it did. This is a witty script with a laugh every other line delivered with pace and panache, with characters crisp from the onset.

Chris Woodley is heart-warming as Christopher, initially gauche and shy but revealing inner grit as the play develops. Stacy Sobieski plays his sister Polly with such verve that I hated the selfishness of her character without ever doubting her truthfulness. Colin Appleby delivers a pivotal role as Mr Rosenburg with a gentle, understated performance. Ellen Verenieks luxuriates in the mean bitch role of Lenore, bringing excellent timing and physicality to her part. Lucas Livesey made Walter credible and touching in the least well developed role as Christopher’s love interest. Ishani Basu, who played Wanda Wang in the performance I saw, offered a delightful, insincere, oily talk show host.

Andrew Beckett has directed this show in such a way that you are unaware of his work: the pace, characterisation, setting and exploitation of the comedy are top class. At the start of the second half, I worried for 30 seconds that there was nowhere else for the story to go, but I was wrong. A series, not of twists, but the harvest of seeds sown in the first half, changed the flow to keep the audience interested in the way the story ended. The detail in the set with integrated lighting, amusing choice of music and slick changes set the mood and maintained the momentum.

This is not just a rehash of a fairy tale, but a fruity comedy with a nod to Cinderella and Blyth Spirit. It may have a gay central character but this is more than a gay play: it deals with greed, insecurity, expectation, hope and reconciliation – most of all it is very funny!

Derek Benfield