Wild About You is billed as ‘a brand new musical in live performance’ – two nights of giant names, performing Broadway star Chilina Kennedy’s latest providing, based mostly on a guide by Eric Holmes. Beforehand workshopped with titles ‘With out Her’ and ‘Name it Love’, this newest title is predicated on the title of one of many songs.

Nevertheless, the truth was extra of a totally shaped musical manufacturing, slightly than a staged live performance, with some work left to do.

When amnesiac Olivia (Rachel Tucker) awakes in a hospital mattress, it’s evident she must work out who she is, and why she will’t bear in mind something. With the assistance of a wonderfully sassy nurse (Todrick Corridor), by trawling by means of texts and emails, she begins piecing collectively her promiscuous previous, and figuring out who the actual Olivia is.

What transpired is considerably complicated – prepared….? Okay, right here we go!

With Olivia’s relationship with comparatively spiritual Michael (Eric McCormack) being destined for the landfill of affection, she moved to New York to discover issues additional with outdated flame Jess (Tori Allen-Martin). While manoeuvring between the ups and downs of life with Jess, Olivia meets artist Thomas (Oliver Tompsett), who will get her pregnant with Billy (Jamie Muscato). Thomas disappears, Michael brings up Billy. Thomas reveals again up. Michael doesn’t inform Billy about his actual dad’s existence, and retains all correspondence from his mom hidden, together with the candy Dangerous Day Bins she put collectively for Billy, designed to enhance a garbage day. Maintaining? As a result of that’s simply Act 1.

Act 2 begins with Olivia being, nicely, useless. ‘How?’ I hear you ask. Good query, no thought. How Olivia died wasn’t coated in the course of the efficiency, which looks like a reasonably pivotal piece of knowledge.

Caught in a mid-way afterlife, manned by an outdated aunty (Corridor), Olivia is given the chance to return again to the actual world, to look at her son uncover himself, with out being seen or heard, to each disastrous and coronary heart warming penalties.

The musical numbers general had been lovely, nevertheless the overwhelming majority appeared like they weren’t fairly completed. Every track got here to an obvious finish shortly after a crescendo, with out sufficient thought put into closing off the track in a delightful method. Belting out hit after hit, with Dangerous Day Field being a crowd favorite, and Wild About You tugging on the heartstrings impressively, the potential for the music is big, particularly with this all-star forged accountable for gifting every track to the viewers, however work continues to be undoubtedly wanted to deliver the rating as much as a degree prepared for stage. There have been additionally plenty of points with the microphones, usually not audibly on for the primary few phrases of a sentence.

McCormack’s West Finish debut was undoubtedly a private success, and he portrayed Michael nicely as an actor, nevertheless, performing with such a robust vocal line-up, his voice typically received misplaced in group numbers. Tucker and Tompsett, each recognized for roles requiring big vocal gravitas, didn’t disappoint, and Muscato’s second act entrance additionally offered the viewers with a few spectacular ballads. Allen-Martin’s comedian timing, alongside a phenomenal voice, makes her character one of the convincing – her casting was impressed. And Todrick Corridor was, nicely, is he ever something aside from perfection?

There are many elements of this efficiency that made sense – the casting, the voices, the concept behind the story, and the humour. However there are additionally elements that didn’t – the gaps within the storyline, songs ending in a means that appeared untimely, Michael’s religiousness, and why our main woman died, to call just a few.

The comedian timing was incredible all through, and the vocals had been a success. The storyline definitely wants work to fill the gaps, however general, with just a few tweaks, this might wow West Finish crowds sooner or later.

Reviewed by Luisa Gottardo