Danny Dyer and Dani Dyer in Nativity! The Musical at Eventim Apollo London. Picture: Richard Davenport
Nativity! The Musical continues at Eventim Apollo London until 29 December 2018.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An excitable buzz outside and inside the venue at the gala performance of this eagerly-awaited celebrity-laden production more than hinted this was going to be something pretty special.
Spectacular and hugely entertaining, it’s a sumptuous visual and musical festive feast with all the trimmings that tugs at the heartstrings and defies you not to sing along and laugh out loud. The tale of two schools, St Bernadette’s, from the wrong side of the tracks and posh Oakmoor School, battling it out for a five-star review for their Christmas nativity, wowed audiences on the big screen back in 2009 and has been doing so in various formats ever since, before going on a UK stage tour prior to hitting Hammersmith.
Written and directed by Debbie Isitt and with songs composed by herself and Nicky Ager, top tunes include ‘Sparkle and Shine’, ‘Nazareth’ and the marvellous almost metal thrash number ‘Herod The Rock Opera’, featuring the excellent Andy Brady as Mr Shakespeare in full Kiss rock band make-up.
Key to the Apollo being packed was the billing of father and daughter, Danny and Dani Dyer. As a singer, Dyer senior, playing Hollywood producer Mr Parker makes a great actor, while as an actor, Love Island victor Dani (Polly Parker) makes a fine singer, but that doesn’t matter in the slightest.
Her dad only has to mutter the immortal words “you muppet” and the audience is eating out of his hand. They’re not on stage very long, blink in Act I and you’ll miss them, but when they do finally unite centre-stage pretty late on in outlandish costumes, to sing a Christmas tune, the audience loves it. It’s unlikely the duo will be releasing an album soon but it is still a nice if surreal moment that perfectly captures the spirit of the evening.
Amid all the full-on musical mayhem, there’s a couple of really quite charming numbers and moments. ‘Suddenly’, with the impressive Scott Garnham and Ashleigh Graham, playing the ex-couple and wannabe back together teacher Mr Maddens and Jennifer Lore, is a lovely song, while the top heart-warming moment of the entire evening is possibly when the St Bernadette’s kids sang ‘Dear Father Christmas’, slowly appearing from underneath blankets on a revolving bunk bed.
The youngsters in the cast, and they are very young, are just fabulous and absolutely key to this show’s success. The adults do the hard work, notably the outstanding, hugely energetic Simon Lipkin as Mr Poppy. They set the scenes, cue it up and the kids do the rest.
They all perform with total confidence, a delightfully care-free spirit and amazing enthusiasm on stage, and if choreographer Andrew Wright and set and costume designer David Woodhead don’t get accolades for this show sometime then there’s no justice in theatre award land. Add in stand-up comedy icon and TV guru of the gateauxJo Brand as the irascible, provincial theatre critic, and there’s something for every age and sense of humour.
Someone once said, kids do the funniest things. They don’t come much funnier, brasher and heart-warmingly entertaining than this.
Derek Smith
Tickets for Nativity! The Musical are available HERE
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