Stage review: Jackie - The Musical

Should there be any anthropologists out there wanting to study the behaviour of 50-something women they could do worse than follow the current tour of Jackie -The Musical. On Tuesday night the Alhambra in Bradford was packed full of them. A few were refreshed with a few pre-theatre glasses of wine, all were determined to relive their youths in this brand new musical.

The premise is simple. A soon to be divorcee, whose husband has run off with a younger model is struggling to come to terms with life as a singleton and a grown-up son who refuses to, well, grow up. Preparing to move out of the family home she comes across a pile of Jackie magazines and so begins the search for where it all went wrong.

It’s a show peppered with hits from the early 70s, from What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, Dancing on a Saturday Night and Puppy Love and as well as one-liners about the perils of too much Prosecco and the other woman, which clearly struck a chord with the Alhambra audience.

Deep it’s not, but it’s saved from being just another cynical jukebox musical from some simply brilliant performances. In the central role, Janet Dibley shines and with Daisy Steere as her younger self it’s a pretty formidable double act.

Arlene Phillips is responsible for the choreography and it shows with a slick ensemble that never puts a foot wrong.

Yes, Jackie -The Musical is a shameless wallow in nostalgia, but sometimes we all need an injection of feelgood. And this one comes with added flares and platform shoes.

To April 2. 01274 43200, bradford-theatres.co.uk