I’M EVERY WOMAN – THE CHAKA KHAN MUSICAL

Troubador Wembley Park

★★★½

“a vibrant celebration of Black female strength”

Legend Chaka Khan puts her story centre stage in ‘I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical’. As jukebox biopics go, it has real strengths even if some elements are still finding their form – but that doesn’t mute the momentum of the performances or the music.

We open with Chaka Khan – born Yvette Marie Stevens – and her family in a rehab centre group therapy session. How does young Yvette become the “Queen of Funk” and how does adult Chaka untangle the emotional wreckage she gathers on the way?

Nia T. Hill’s writing does a stronger job than most biopic musicals of balancing respect with grit, offering a fitting homage to a living legend without shying away from stickier subjects – especially the impact on Khan’s family. That said, some dialogue feels a touch overwritten and Act Two needs tightening. The twist involving Marie could also use more crafting – you can spot it long before the reveal, which blunts an otherwise dramatic and visually stunning moment. Still, the piece has real teeth and heart, which is a tricky balance to land.

Racky Plews’ direction has genuinely inventive touches – such as the frenetic dance sequence charting the rise and fall of Khan’s second marriage, and the striking moment where she finally unlocks the doors suppressing her pain. For me a standout moment is Joni Mitchell’s haunting rendition of ‘I Put a Spell on You’, which Sophie Earl delivers with luminous intensity. Some elements could use refining: Khan is the show’s emotional core, and while the vocals are there, the grounding is less consistent. Marie’s characterisation is a little contradictory – she reads as a comedic caricature early on, perhaps signalling her twist too soon, and yet the ensemble seems to interact with her. Refine these elements and you’re looking at a commanding production.

Khan’s iconic repertoire is the backbone of the score, gorgeously reimagined by Mark Crossland – especially ‘I’m Every Woman’, which weaves through the show in strikingly different forms. It’s refreshing, too, for a single artist jukebox musical to feature other popular tracks, neatly avoiding the common trap of shoehorning in lesser known songs. Still, there’s an over reliance on presenting numbers as shows within a show, which feels less inventive. The live band, however, does a superb job of bringing the score to life.

Ebony Clarke’s choreography cleverly charts the decades, giving each era a distinct feel without tipping into over familiarity. The balletic marriage sequence is especially striking – unexpectedly sharp until the speed of the relationship’s collapse becomes clear.

Sara Perks’ set design mixes moving panels and projections with finesse, shifting eras and locations seamlessly. It’s also impressive how quickly a full live band appears and disappears. Zoe Spurr’s lighting is stunning, blending classic stage looks with concert style roving spots and disco flourishes. Chris Whybrow’s sound is strong overall, though a couple of mics sound a little muffled. Natalie Pryce’s costumes capture each era beautifully – sharp, stylish, and consistently striking. J.J. Wiggs’ WHAM design charts Khan’s hair history with charm and precision.

Few performers could match Chaka Khan’s iconic vocals, yet this cast rises to it. Alexandra Burke proves she is a star, with phenomenal vocals and commanding stage presence as Khan. The ensemble – including Chrissie Bhima, Ashley Stroud, Charlotte St. Croix, Miles Anthony Daley, Jelani Munroe, Sophie Earl, Maryla Abraham and Daniela Morain – is so strong it’s a challenge to single anyone out, though Bhima’s mercurial Marie, Stroud’s feisty Taka, Earl’s arresting Joni and Daley’s effortlessly smooth Richard give Burke real competition.

‘I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical’ is a vibrant celebration of Black female strength, with a surprisingly open heart. With some focused editing, it’s poised to become an audience favourite.

I’M EVERY WOMAN – THE CHAKA KHAN MUSICAL

Troubador Wembley Park

Reviewed on 4th August 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Danny Kaan

I’M EVERY WOMAN

★★★

“has potential to be hilarious if it goes further into exploiting the ridiculousness of the situation and characters”

Four Women and a Funeral, a new play by Jennifer Selway is a grounded comedy set in Restmore Funeral Home, celebrating the life of Reuben Roffe. Unfortunately, the only people who have turned up for the ceremony are ‘The Widow’ (Donna Combe), ‘The Mistress’ (Eliza McClelland), ‘The Guest’ (Leda Hodgson) and ‘The Celebrant’ (Victoria Jeffrey).

The play introduces us to the premise straight away, introducing the Widow and Celebrant well. We learn of the Widow and Reuben’s relationship to be tricky at times but overall loving, with the Widow consistently praising her dead husband’s work as a writer. Little is established about the Widow’s life outside of her husband’s at this stage, which is a detail that gets missed generally throughout the play. The show’s central plot is centred around the dead husband, and how each character’s lives related to him at some point. A man in whom we discover throughout the show, wasn’t the nicest or most honest to have lived, so the drama in which surrounded him felt slightly unfavourable.

A lot, however, is revealed about the Celebrant early on, information that will later unveil a rather large plot twist. The Guest is also introduced as a colleague of the deceased, but it’s quickly revealed that she is instead an FBI agent and the play transforms from a Farcical sit-com to a witty whodunnit. Leda Hodgson shines in this role, playing the special agent with deep focus and precision, contrasting well to her undercover escapades as the bubbly ex-colleague.

It felt at points that the style of the show was confused. The pacing and comedy of the show felt like an English Countryside farce, yet the play is set in America with the cast speaking in New York-like accents. This resulted in a pace that felt like it was falling behind itself. A more concise script could help with this, to make the action be snappier and move the story quicker.

The show does succeed in representing older women in roles and conversations that often go unrepresented on stage and screen. The women openly talk about sexual topics and there’s even a little woman loving woman representation thrown in there. However there were also moments where this felt at odds with itself; characters talking down about younger women for being young and speaking bad about each other for loving the same mediocre man. While the group – at a certain stage – shares a solidarity from both loving and being hard done by this man, I feel that message of female unity gets confused.

The play has potential to be hilarious if it goes further into exploiting the ridiculousness of the situation and characters. Eliza McClelland performs brilliantly as the mistress, enriching her performance with the melodrama that I think this play requires. With more rehearsal and a tightening of the script, this could be achieved throughout. There were several moments of laughter throughout the show, just too much time between each one.

Tag Archives: Racky Plews

I’M EVERY WOMAN – THE CHAKA KHAN MUSICAL

★★★½

Troubador Wembley Park

I’M EVERY WOMAN – THE CHAKA KHAN MUSICAL

Troubador Wembley Park

★★★½

“a vibrant celebration of Black female strength”