Miss Nightingale – Review

Entertainment, Front Page , ,
PRINT
A A A

Gemma Crump of Sheffield Live! reviews Matthew Bugg’s Miss Nightingale.

The bewitching musical that is Miss Nightingale will make you laugh, cry and go home with the catchy songs stuck firmly in your head.

Set in war time Britain, a feisty northern singer Maggie Brown (played by the amazingly talented Jill Cardo) and her refugee friend George (played by Harry Waller) struggle to find their big break. They meet Sir Frank Worthington-Blythe (played by Tomm Coles) who agrees to take on the act in his Nightclub under the name ‘Miss Nightingale’. With the saucy costumes and innuendo filled songs, they soon become a hit.

Behind the glamour of the stage the love lives of the characters are in turmoil. Maggie is in love and having a relationship with Tom Fuller (played by Adam Langstaff) a married man who feeds her love stories and yet will never leave his wife. Whereas George and Frank fall in love, however in a time when homosexuality was illegal, they have to hide their love from everyone.

Other supporting characters were also acted with élan, such as the waiter and stage manager (played by Tobias Oliver) and Maggie’s brother Harry Brown (played by the one and only Matthew Bugg). This show deserves to be a huge hit.

The storyline is beautifully put together with songs ranging from hilarious to deeply emotional. The amazingly talented cast not only act but harmonise and play different instruments. The whole show draws you in, keeping you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

There is no other show like this in the theatres at the moment. A story of friendship, forbidden love and learning to trust again, it is the hidden gem of musicals. My only regret is that I only saw it once.