Aldwych Theatre

This glossy Frank Sinatra bio-musical may have had its original try out run in Birmingham last year, but Sinatra the Musical follows the increasingly common path of a big new American show working its kinks through in the more forgiving UK before chancing Broadway. Directed and choregraphed by Broadway big name Kathleen Marshall, and with a book by Broadway big name Joe DiPietro (best known for the smash hit Memphis), it of course concerns arguably the most iconic American singer of the twentieth century: Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. As is the way with a lot of modern bio-musicals (Tina, MJ) it shows Sinatra not at a moment of triumph, but vulnerability and adversity. It’s set in 1942, and follows a 27-year-old Frank as his career seems to be on the rocks. Having left the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra where he made his name, his initial solo releases have flopped and his affair with rising Hollywood starlet Ava Gardner has tarnished his name. But a New Year’s Eve gig at the Paramount Theatre in New York is an opportunity to not only make a comeback, but to turn himself into the biggest name in showbiz. Joel Harper-Jackson will play Frank Sinatra, with Ana Villafañe as Ava Gardner and Phoebe Panaretos as Nancy Sinatra (Frank’s first wife).  Despite being set years before Sinatra’s biggest hits occurred, you can rest assured that they’re basically all included.