Frank Sinatra has returned to the West End in a new bio-musical, Sinatra: The Musical, now playing at the Aldwych Theatre. First staged in Birmingham three years ago and extensively workshopped since, the production arrives with big band energy and a premise focused on the star's nadir in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when his extraordinary talent seemed at risk of a wasteful end.
A Swaggering Lead Performance
The show opens at the Paramount theatre, where Sinatra, played by Joel Harper-Jackson, has everything going for him: screaming fans, a devoted wife who cooks spaghetti, and a movie with Gene Kelly that will address accusations of draft-dodging. Harper-Jackson delivers smooth vocal power and captures Sinatra's signature swagger – the head wobble and corner-of-the-mouth smirk. His weakness for women is played as a comically charming quirk, with a bed-hopping rendition of Come Fly With Me involving Lana Turner, Judy Garland, and Marlene Dietrich.
The Ava Gardner Affair
When Sinatra meets Ava Gardner in Palm Springs, she soon gets under his skin, leading to the end of his marriage to Nancy (Phoebe Panaretos). Ana Villafañe captures Gardner's bombshell power, and the musical numbers are passionate, but Joe DiPietro's book never conveys the true tumult of this legendary affair. The couple's first date allegedly ended in drunken gunplay, yet the febrile nature of their relationship is reduced to a ceremonious smashing of whisky glasses in a grate.
Light on Darkness
Sinatra's producer daughter Tina, who helped shape the story, wanted her father to be better understood. However, a reluctance to embrace too much darkness makes it seem as if things just happen to him. This contradicts the comeback narrative and the stubbornness he supposedly inherited from his Italian mother, played by Jenna Russell, who steals a scene with a single line delivered on a telephone. The script offers some colour on Sinatra's progressive values and the anti-immigrant discrimination that drove him, but it often feels less three-dimensional than the video-assisted set design.
Joyful Choreography and Big Hits
Fortunately, Kathleen Marshall's production, complete with a fine ensemble and joyful choreography, does not stint on the big hits. On opening night, the audience could literally be heard swooning. Sinatra: The Musical runs at the Aldwych Theatre, London, until 10 April.
