The Blonde Bombshells of 1943 review, Gatehouse Theatre Highgate

The Blonde Bombshells of 1943 sounded a real laugh: seven women and a man in drag providing some swinging forties tunes, and the joy of seeing a musical in an intimate space like the versatile Gatehouse Theatre in Highgate is the feeling of being in the middle of a party - literally feeling the heat as high octane performers create magic within inches of your seat.

We arrived with high expectations though, inevitably, a play with such a flimsy premise often has a flimsy storyline. This shouldn't matter when the content is strong enough. Theatre is the suspension of disbelief. Alan Plater, however, leaves little room for manoeuvre in a story that covers a single day in 1943 when The Blonde Bombshells perform live on the wireless to British troops across the world. All the women are portrayed as mean, minxes, or madonnas. The man is a coward to be despised. Opportunities for nuance or tension are unexploited. John Plews production feels like an early read-through.


The young and game cast works hard but Emma Jane Morton, Louisa Beadel, Ashley Stirling, Eloise Kay, Giovanna Ryan, Katie Arnstein, Lauren Storer and Josh Haberfield are better musicians than they are singers. There is no welly in the songs, no energy and excitement. It was a relief when the best tunes came out two hours in, but one wasn't sure if the pleasure came from the performance or knowing the show was nearly done.

In conclusion:  The Gatehouse has put on some stonkingly good musicals in its time, and this may be better once it's bedded in, but it's currently too simplistic and lacks drama. If, however, you have a companion who remembers the tunes, it may be that the enlightenment they bring to proceedings is the X Factor required to make the play work.


References
Gatehouse Theatre tickets

Gatehouse Theatre, over the Gatehouse Pub, Highgate Village, London N6 4BD. Run ends 29 June