Ushers The Front of House Musical – Hope Theatre

The cast of Ushers: The Front of House Musical at the Hope Theatre, London. Picture: John Hunter

Ushers: The Front of House Musical continues at the Hope Theatre, London until 31 December.

The 50-seat, intimate performance space at the Hope Theatre is currently home to Yiannis Koutsakos, James Rottger and James Oban’s new musical, Ushers: The Front of House Musical. The satirical piece is a good-humoured look at life as a Front of House member of staff at a West End theatre.

The plot focuses on tyrannical manager, Robin (Ralph Bogard), who instructs his staff to “sell, sell, sell!” The show takes the familiar musical theatre theme of following one’s dreams by creating frustrated characters who seek a way out of Front of House for the bright lights of the stage. However, by using this cliché, the audience is left with flat, undeveloped characters which are genre stereotypes.

However, the actors perform their roles with enthusiasm. Performers Chloe Brooks and Ross McNeill are particularly strong as comic actors. Brooks’ Rosie, a character obsessed with musical theatre’s men, excels during the witty song ‘Leading Men’, an ode to Marti Pellow and John Barrowman. This piece is choreographed well by Russell Smith who makes full use of the small space.

McNeill is engaging as Stephen and works well with Abigail-Carter Simpson. Their repeated encounters, which are emphasised with spotlights and ‘romantic’ music, are a deliberate nod to the intense romances which crop up regularly in musicals.

Yet, the stand out performer is Liam Ross-Mills who plays Ben, a departure from the stereotypical characters found within the piece, as he is given an intriguing back story. Ross-Mills adds vulnerability to the character and is excellent vocally.

Ushers: The Front of House Musical is a well-executed musical which benefits from an enthusiastic cast. However, if there was more focus on character, it could have been a truly engaging piece of theatre.

Rebecca Gordon

www.kingsheadtheatre.com/hope-theatre.html