Review: Faultless performances and abundant energy on Northampton stage in unique musical Curtains

You wouldn’t expect to see murder, music and comedy in the same show - but Curtains manages to include all three.

This all-singing, all-dancing production is about the cast of Broadway-bound musical Robbin Hood who find themselves as suspects in a murder after the star of the show, Jessica Cranshaw, is killed on opening night.

The fun begins when local detective and big theatre fan Frank Cioffi, played by Jason Manford, steps in to solve the crime and try to save the flailing show.

While Manford is the show’s ‘big name’, I felt the supporting cast were the true stars of the show. Every number was performed faultlessly and with an abundance of enthusiasm and energy.

As you might expect from a musical within a musical there were a lot of songs, and while some were brilliant (The Women is Dead uses the news of the murder as a drama warm up exercise with hilarious results), I felt a few were a bit gratuitous and bland and at two hours 40 minutes, the show could have done without them. But then again, if you are a big fan of musical theatre, you would probably disagree.

Former Hollyoaks star Carley Stenson was outstanding as likeable lyricist Gerorgia Hendricks and Samuel Holmes who played camp director Christopher Belling and Emma Caffrey as Bambi Bernet had the audience in stitches with their impeccable comic performances.

The sound and set design were big and bold and definitely helped make this musical comedy caper stand out as one of the more unique productions I have ever seen.

* Curtains runs at the Royal & Derngate until Saturday February 29. See royalandderngate.co.uk to book.