★★★★★

“The magnetic cast shimmers with soul and skill”

I’ll be honest: when ‘50 First Dates: The Musical’ was announced, I feared a carbon copy of the problematic 2004 film, ‘50 First Dates’. But like Henry, I’m glad I stuck around. The stage version is surprisingly fresh, bursting with heart, charm and pain. Forget 50: one date’s all it takes to fall for this musical!

‘Perfect Day’ travel blogger, Henry Roth, has it all – influencer status, an ambitious agent, success with the ladies. The world’s at his feet, even though he’s outrunning his past. During a pitstop in Key Largo, Florida, Henry meets Lucy, the town’s sweetheart. Suddenly he sees a reason to stay. But one perfect day isn’t enough when Lucy forgets everything by morning. Can love overcome memory loss? Or is one day all they’ll get?

With a hilarious book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, ‘50 First Dates: The Musical’ removes and/or softens the film’s more controversial elements, landing in 2025 with depth and compassion. Henry is much less creepy, no longer deceiving though still disappearing; Lucy’s hopes and dreams are central rather than shoehorned in; Lucy has more agency, even though the men still steer the ship; racist portrayals are gone. The intrinsically flawed, overly romanticised medical premise remains, but the whole resonates much more deeply, heightened by the writers’ sensitive portrayal of pain: for all the sunshine and silliness, both script and score are imbued with quiet tragedy. The result is a breathtaking gut-punch of beauty and sorrow – an entire town forever changed by Lucy’s accident.

The score is hauntingly beautiful. Rossmer and Rosen’s music and lyrics, with arrangements by Matthew Jackson and Richard Beadle, are filled with hope and sadness. Such poignancy is woven into harmonic progressions, key changes and chords, it demands a cast recording. And not every song is sad, with the tongue-in-cheek ‘Key Largo’ bringing showgirl swagger, and the rousing ‘Finale’ ending on a high.

Casey Nicholaw’s direction paints in multicolour strokes, capturing the full breadth of emotion with effortless flair. He expertly shapes a relatively large cast into a living, breathing portrait of connection and chemistry. The staging is well balanced despite the unusual footprint. Standing on lobster pots to create different levels is very on brand, though could be more impactful with more elevation.

Fly Davis’ ingenious set design focuses on a spinning central structure, serving as various locations with some surprisingly fast turnarounds (get it?). Wood-panelled wings frame the space, transforming every inch into a canvas for projected imagery. George Reeve’s projection design is stunning and impressively varied, shifting from photo album to tropical beach, to expressionist art and more. It’s elevated by Aideen Malone’s lighting, shifting from realism to dreamscape with precision. Davis’ costumes radiate summer energy and capture each character’s essence, especially Lucy’s dad’s transformation and her brother’s colourful choices. There are also clever costume changes, with one sequence squeezing in five outfits by my count!

The magnetic cast shimmers with soul and skill. Georgina Castle’s Lucy is its beating heart, combining breezy allure with wicked wit and gut-wrenching grief. Her powerful vocals soar through the score – fierce, flawless, and in full control. Josh St. Clair’s Henry starts out broken but blooms into a steadfast supporter, powered by commanding vocals and irresistible charm. Charlie Toland’s Doug starts out brash but finds brotherhood, stealing scenes with killer comic timing. The whole ensemble radiates love and connection, uniting us all in shared struggle and flooding the stage with their glorious voices.

‘50 First Dates: The Musical’ pulses with warmth, soul and aching beauty. A richer, wiser version, you’ll want to see it again and again!

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret”

Saving Mozart by Charli Eglinton bursts onto the stage, bringing Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart and his complex family dynamics to life and bang up to date. Though like Mozart’s actual career, it gets a little lost at points.

A modern musical about the man behind the mastery, Saving Mozart explores the complex relationships that challenge and drive him. The close bond with his equally prodigious sister Nannerl is shaken; his taskmaster father prioritises success and society over his children; his protective mother (spoiler alert) dies too soon; his rival Salieri both guides and gets in the way, and his ambitious wife Constanze pushes him on when all seems lost.

Eglinton’s writing injects humanity into the story, showing us the struggles and successes inside Mozart’s troubled mind. Satisfyingly, the women in his life are credited as the real reasons for his success. That said, the plot suffers from trying to do too much, charting his itinerant career and several complex relationships and exploring themes that sometimes go nowhere. Between that and a score bursting with songs, the core of the piece gets a little lost. This isn’t helped by some character inconsistencies. The father, Leopold, lacks a coherent character arc, instead flipping between unforgiving stage dad and regretful father figure. Salieri seems to go out of his way to hamper Mozart’s career before abruptly making amends. Even Nannerl, who dotes on Mozart in Act 1, sides entirely with her father in Act 2 despite him scuppering her life’s happiness. Even if this is what happened in real life it could be more nuanced, perhaps through more dialogue.

Eglinton’s score is fantastic, cleverly weaving in fragments of Mozart’s music and completely reinventing them within a very modern sound drawing on pop, rock, blues and even Michael Bublé. There are some very catchy songs, such as the virtuosic opening number ‘Remember Me’; devastating songs, such as the mother’s soulful ‘He’s Only a Child’; and high energy ensemble songs, such as ‘Stand Up Stand Down’. Though again, the score feels a little full and perhaps could be refined to create some breathing space.

Co-directed by Taylor Walker and Markus Olzinger, the piece is emotionally charged from the off. Mozart narrates his life as the only character breaking the fourth wall, drawing you into his troubled mind from the beginning. He also shadows his younger self, deepening the poignancy of these formative moments.

The cast is stunning. Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret while delivering soaring yet raw vocals. Aimie Atkinson’s Nannerl exudes brilliance, wit, affection and frustration with equally nuanced vocals. Jordan Luke Gage’s smouldering Salieri absolutely sizzles with knowing cynicism and a voice to die for. Gloria Onitiri’s Anna Maria Mozart is devastatingly soulful. Izzie Monk absolutely holds her own as Little Mozart, with the stage presence and singing capability of a much older actor. The ensemble brings the energy and nails Walker’s choreography, executing a range of styles with precision and prowess, though would benefit from a bit more space. The musicians and musical direction by Robert Wicks are also fantastic, bringing the score to life with biting precision and virtuosic skill.

Justin Williams’ set design is modern and monochrome, with a big white ‘M’ dominating more familiar elements of the otherwise minimalist set (much like Mozart himself). Julia Pschedezki and Lucy K. Crew’s costumes bring haute couture to the stage, elevating 18th century ruffs and frills with enviable silhouettes and styles. This contrasts with 18th century style wigs and hair (Renate Harter) which are beautiful and complex. Sound design (Tom Marshall) is spot on, blending seamlessly with the score. Lighting design (Ben Jacobs) is at points as iconic as the action on stage.

Based on writing alone, I’m not sure if Saving Mozart achieves its aim; but the cast, score, choreography, design and direction more than make up for it in this sizzling, foot tapping, bass thumping musical that will make audiences fall in love with Mozart all over again.

50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL

The Other Palace

★★★★★

“The magnetic cast shimmers with soul and skill”

50 FIRST DATES: THE MUSICAL

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 24th September 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Pamela Raith

Previously reviewed at this venue:

50 FIRST DATES

50 FIRST DATES

50 FIRST DATES

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

★★★★

“Jack Chambers’ Mozart movingly shows every single hope, fear and regret”

SAVING MOZART

The Other Palace

Reviewed on 5th August 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Danny Kaan

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Saving Mozart

Saving Mozart

Saving Mozart

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