An Officer and a Gentleman the musical is being staged at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham
With a sneaky tear and without watching the film, the timeless story of love, courage and redemption swept me off my feet as a hopeless romantic.
Based on the 1982 film starring Richard Gere — An Officer and a Gentleman — the musical arrived at the stage at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham yesterday (July 29).
For a fact, when people stand up at the end of the theatre, that means that it not only surprises and captures your attention but everyone else’s in the audience.
Despite being from the 1980s, the story is temporal and still has a lot to say about society as it is today, be it from work, military, love, marriage or family.
Travelling back from the 80s, the musical contains some of the most iconic songs from the era, making it impossible for the audience to not sing along, clap and cheer every time a performance ends.
The story follows the emotional journey of Zack Mayo, performed by Luke Baker, a fearless young officer candidate who believes he needs to do everything on his own and only look after himself.
However, everything changes when the sparkle of love hits him and he meets Paula Pokrifki (Georgia Lennon).
Their encounters ignite a spark that transcends boundaries, awakening a passionate love that defies all odds, but they don’t want to fall in love.
But are they strong enough to stay away from each other? And that’s when the cheesy part begins, it’s the yes and the no, the come and go that captures the public’s attention to this typical love story.
Alongside the main love story, it tells the tale of other characters who are different parts of the main romance lives.
Sid Worley (Paul French) and Lynette Pomeroy (Sinead Long) were a love story that for someone who hasn’t seen the film, surprised me the most.
The way it started was obvious and I wasn’t expecting burning passion, but maybe I was surprised when it ended up being one-sided and led to a tragic ending that I can’t lie, left a sneaky little tear on the corner of my eye.
From the family to officers and the Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley (Jamal Kane Crawford), the story behind every character was understood and be it more or less, the public was able to get attached to their live stories, with a laugh or a tear.
The iconic end scene reminded everyone of the beauty of love and how sometimes it is better to give in rather than resist powerful feelings such as love.
From dancing to laughing, crying and singing, an Officer and a Gentleman is a play that surprised me as I thought that a play over two hours would bore me, but it engaged me and connected with me way more than I expected, I would definitely recommend. — MT
The musical will be staged in Nottingham until Saturday (August 3).