My husband and I went to see the 2pm performance of the new Denise Van Outen musical play at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Written by Terry Ronald and Denise Van Outen, Van Outen stars as Stephanie Canworth, a beautiful, successful, lingerie entrepreneur and media darling who appears to have it all. One Facebook poke from Sean, an old flame, brings all the memories flooding back and forces her to confront the problems she is having in her marriage to 'supportive' but baby ready, Paul.
The play features a lovely Steve Anderson remix tape of songs from the 80s and 90s, including Soft Cell, Sonia, Thompson Twins and Culture Club, perfect for nostalgia and the whole play takes place in a Morgan Large posh hotel room (Michael Howcroft's slick production is complete with a ceiling festooned with 80s memorabilia). For what is essentially a monologue, Van Outen holds the audience well with a mix of emotions and cleverly chosen songs. Known for her performance on Broadway and the West End, Van Outen can certainly sing and the tunes are altered to bring out more of a musical vibe.
There were some funny lines and the mood lighting helped to 'transport' the audience back to some of her memories, but for me the ending to her relationship with 'shaggable Sean' was trite. Yes, the plot was light, but enjoyable none-the-less.
#SomeGirlIUsedToKnow #WestYorkshirePlayhouse #DeniseVanOuten
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