This new musical which has been developed over several years has great potential in terms of music and characters but needs a bit of work done to the book.
It is always a joy to see a new musical on the stage in the West End – particularly when it is a developing piece such as ‘Rosie’ which has plenty of charm and a gorgeous score.
Telling the true story of Rosie Boote who grows up in a covent and dreams of performing on a West End stage. It is a story that is filled with romance, friendship and ambition. There is great promise to the story but it needs developing further in terms of drama, conflict and twists to keep audiences thoroughly invested – everything as it stands feels a little bit too tidy and dealt with too easily.
Chris Broom’s book definitely provides plenty of interesting characters that bring the story to life and it is certainly breezy and easy to follow but with further development the characters and relationships will shine even further. At the moment certain lines feel slightly stilted and lacking in conviction but equally there is a certain Jane Austen quality to some of the conversations that work really well.
Meanwhile, Broom’s score is absolutely gorgeous with plenty of moments that has a ‘My Fair Lady’ vibe to it – with songs such as ‘The Master’s On His Way’ and ‘Romano’s’ standing out in this regard. Ballads such as ‘Could This Be Love at Last’ and ‘Broken Dreams’ are very heartfelt and powerful. Musically, there is a real lushness and depth that is impossible to resist – the score wraps around the theatre beautifully and makes a strong impression from start to finish.
Most importantly, the songs effectively push the story and emotions uncovered in scenes, with ‘I Still Believe in Love’ and ‘Call My Name’ proving to be particular stand outs.
The casting was completely spot on for this semi-staged performance (and it does have to be said it was lovely to see the orchestra on stage with the cast). Lucie Thomas as Rosie is sweet and charming from start to finish with great potential to take the character further in further performances. She is well matched with Will Callan’s Geoffrey, Rosie’s love interest, who has plenty of charisma and grace to make for a convincing leading character.
Elsewhere, Desmonda Cathabel does well as Lily who takes Rosie in when she arrives in London. Cathabel’s vocals and characterisation is wonderfully warm and endearing to make for a stand out performance. It would have been lovely to have seen more of Sally Ann Triplett’s Lady Emily, Geoffrey’s mother who could have been used a lot more in terms of developing conflict between Rosie and Geoffrey.
Overall, there is much to admire about ‘Rosie’ at this stage but it just needs a little extra attention to detail to give it more depth to make it even more satisfying and entertaining to watch. As it is, Rosie is enjoyable and charming in many respects.
By Emma Clarendon
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️