WhatsOnStage was lucky (lucky, lucky, lucky) enough to be invited to the world premiere of the official Stock Aitken Waterman musical at the Manchester Opera House last night.
Entitled I Should Be So Lucky, the piece combines the greatest hits of the “hit factory” itself (we’re looking at you Rick Astley, Jason Donovan, Bananarama, Sonia and, of course, Kylie Minogue!) with an original story by Debbie Isitt (Nativity!).
We caught up with Isitt (who also directs), principal cast members Lucie-Mae Sumner (who plays Ella) and Billy Roberts (Nathan), alongside Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, to get the lowdown on the latest jukebox crowd-pleaser.
The cast also includes Kayla Carter (as Bonnie), Jamie Chapman (as Spencer), Jemma Churchill (as Ivy), Matthew Croke (as Nadeem), Jessica Daley (as Britney), Gary Davis (as Big Mike), Melissa Jacques (as Shelley), Scott Paige (as Michael), Giovanni Spanò (as Ash), and Anna Unwin (as Olivia).
The company is completed by Tegan Bannister, Ralph Bogard, Elliot Broadfoot, Emma Crossley, Kade Ferraiolo, Sydney Isitt-Ager, Joe Kelly, Aidan Nightingale, James Willoughby Moore, Lauren Woolf and Louie Wood.
The production features choreography by Jason Gilkison, orchestrations and musical direction by George Dyer, set and costume design by Tom Rogers, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Ben Harrison, casting by Anne Vosser and production management by Simon Marlow.
Presented by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions, I Should Be So Lucky continues at Manchester Opera House until 25 November 2023, before touring to Cardiff, Plymouth, Leeds, Dartford, Sheffield, Southampton, Wimbledon, Oxford, Glasgow, Hull, Milton Keynes, Southend, Woking, Bromley, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Sunderland and Aberdeen.