Ushers: The Front of House Musical – The Other Palace

Picture: Craig Fuller

Ushers: The Front of House Musical continues at The Other Palace Theatre, London until 20 May.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“It’s a hard knock life for… ushers.” That’s just one of the countless theatre references that fuel this tongue in cheek production about working in a theatre. Ushers: The Front of House Musical is hilarious from start to finish, overflowing with inside jokes and unapologetically honest about the West End.

The show opens with the exuberant number ‘Welcome!’, performed by the company – all front-of-house members working in a theatre – and the audience knows they are in for a treat. Since the show first opened at London’s Hope Theatre in 2013 the script and lyrics have been updated and mention things that happened mere days ago, something which is likely to continue throughout the run.

The action takes place in real time in a London theatre over the duration of a performance. There’s even a song called ‘Interval Preparations’ just before the interval which makes for an immersive and inclusive experience for the audience. Poking fun at the wide variation of shows that are appearing in the West End these days, the setting is a theatre where ‘Love Island: The Musical’ is playing.

Bethany Amber-Perrins gives a standout performance as Rosie who is exaggeratedly in everyone’s face – she is also the only usher who does not have aspirations of being on the stage, which softens the stereotype of West End employees all being actors. However, she is a self-proclaimed “stage ninja” who is there to celebrity spot which makes for a funny dance number in ‘Leading Men’.

Yannis Koutsakos’ music and James Oban’s lyrics (with Koutsakos), along with Max Reynolds’ direction and Adam Haigh’s choreography, pay homage to musical theatre and build on the meta premise of Ushers. While Reuben Speed’s costume design – each cast member kitted in waistcoats and red ties – gives the show a familiar feel and adds to the authenticity of the production, that being the standard uniform that ushers wear in so many theatres.

Daniel Page plays the sleazy but flamboyant manager, Robin Poketts, who is always hanging around making sure his staff aren’t having too much fun, with fantastic energy. Amidst the comedy, there are some poignant moments in the form of solo numbers in which the characters question whether they can keep their dream of acting alive. Danielle Rose, who plays new employee Lucy, performs the longing number ‘Dreams & Ice-Creams’ beautifully.

It is not surprising to discover that the writer, James Rottger (also additional lyrics), now works full-time as an actor. The script is very self-aware and cleverly tackles the sometimes difficult task of auditioning actors trying to bag roles in the very theatres they work in. “Nobody trains three years to be an usher,” Ben (Luke Bayer) admits – in what can be a tough industry to work in, the company approaches this with a tender, passionate performance.

Ushers provides a joyful glimpse into the humans behind the faces we see every time we go to the theatre. Anyone who loves musicals will love this musical.

Rebecca Sinclair