You don’t come to a show named after Kylie’s 1987 debut hit, hung around the songs of 80s pop heavyweights Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and expect to be treated to something high-brow.
The Hit Factory were ridiculed even at the peak of their powers for being a bit naff, so 30 years on, it’s fair to say the audience expectations are limited to a bit of good-natured, wholesome fun.
Yet halfway through the first act of this adrenaline-fuelled musical trip down nostalgia alley, it was sooooo full of fluff and nonsense, I was beginning to wonder whether even with those limited ambitions, it had grated the cheese just a bit too much.
Lucie-Mae Sumner takes on the role of the jilted bride, Ella, with Billy Roberts portraying her would-be husband, Nathan. The majority of the show unfolds in Turkey, where Ella, undeterred by her cancelled wedding, chooses to embark on her honeymoon alongside a group of close friends and family. Nathan, keen to make amends, quickly follows with his best man Ash, as we’re treated to a kind of Benidorm/Mama Mia crossover in which everyone gets the wrong end of the stick, almost all of the time.
But really, it’s all about the songs of the famous trio, with the title track, as well as Especially For You and Never Gonna Give You Up among those given top billing.
Thankfully though, after a rather patchy start, the gags improve and the characters find their feet, with Extras star Jamie Chapman (Hotel Manager Spencer) and The Circle’s Scott Paige (Ella’s camp pal Michael) amongst those to really warm to their task.
The standout scene centres around a hilarious performance from former X Factor finalist, Giovanni Spano, as he and the increasingly desperate Nathan decide to conceal themselves at the Eastern Promise nightclub by dressing up as Turkish waiters and organising a show-stopping, Zorba Dance-inspired rendition of You Spin Me Right Round by Dead or Alive.
The reason why they do it is not overly relevant, because the scene is laugh-out-loud funny, and immediately all the corny jokes and double-entendres that were making me groan previously started to induce a snigger. For those that are that way inclined, you’ll get to have a good game of sexual innuendo bingo; “Anyone for Indian Head?” It’s a massage, of course.
So, yes, I Should Be So Lucky is frankly ridiculous, a kind of X Rated panto on acid; but if you come with the right expectations and can forgive the presence of some of SAW’s slightly lesser-known tracks to help fill out some of the plot, then you’ll most likely have a great time.
