An Officer and A Gentleman - Review

An Officer and a Gentleman is playing a the Lyric Theatre.  It is based on the movie but has been adapted by the original screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart with Sharleen Cooper Cohen for the stage.  The story revolves around Zack Mayo played by Ben Mingay. Zack has been brought up by his drunken Naval father and two prostitutes in Manila. Not the best start in life but he is inspired from a young age to become an officer in the Navy and fly.

Zack is ambitious and driven, deep down he is a good guy but has trouble shrugging off his up bringing. When he least expects it, he falls in love with Paula Pokrifki (Amanda Harrison). Paula is a factory worker and like the other girls is searching for a way out. Her best friend Lynette Pomeroy (Kate Kendall) leads her to Zack and she too hooks up with Zack's best friend Sid Worley (Alex Rathgeber). She makes him fall in love with her with terrible consequences.  While all the romance is taking place Zack and several others are doing their 12 week Naval training. Who will last until the end? They all arrive as a mix of odd bods but are quickly whipped into shape by Sgt. Emil Foley (Bert Labonte). 

I thought that all the acting, singing and dancing were great. The main characters really stood out as did Bert Labonte particularly his songs. Ben Mingay is quite a heart throb and I am sure there will be plenty of woman who wished they could have been Amanda Harrison!
The music and lyrics by Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner were good, the song An Officer and Gentleman was catchy, it was a shame is wasn't sung at the end by all the cast as a curtain call.  The Sgt. Emil Foley's song also stood out.  There could have been a little more variety in styles, maybe.
My biggest criticism would have to be the set. For a large musical the wow factor was missing. It was a shame too that I had just seen Miss Saigon the week before, the set for that was far superior. The set was a series of metal stairs and gangways that were constantly moving, or so it seemed. I am surprised that the actors knew where it was going and didn't bump into it more often.  This then made it a good production rather than an excellent one.
Overall though I did enjoy it and I think most people will whether you have or have not seen the film.

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