Ushers: The Musical at the Charing Cross Theatre

Before you get too excited, Usher hasn’t had his biggest hits made in to a new musical – but even if he had, this show would probably be better.

We’re all too familiar with the process of being “ushered” to our seats at a show, being offered ludicrously-priced ice-cream in the interval and paying £5 for a programme – Ushers: The Musical sticks two fingers up in the face of this sort of pretentious theatre by making fun of workplace “hazards” (crumbling a cardboard box wearing a hard hat and visors), the over-enthusiastic programme seller (and the critical importance of his/her “float”) and the money-hungry CEO.

We’re welcomed into the theatre by the performers themselves who, ironically, stand by ushering us to our seats – a fairly commonplace gesture. The lights go down and suddenly they appear two inches away from our faces with torches, breaking into an all-singing, all-dancing performance welcoming us to the show, making sarcastic suggestions that we buy their over-priced merchandise, which has the crowd in hysterics. The ironic way the performers make fun of themselves and their position has the audience in fits of contagious laughter, all the more so when we are shown short trailers of the CEO and his pretentious slogan: “Making theatre…. BETTER!”

The more serious storyline that runs through the show is that of two gay lovers who are employed by the theatre – but have to make a difficult decision when one is offered an acting role on the other side of the world. Yet this seems a little superficial and out of place within the musical. Nevertheless, Ushers: The Musical is guaranteed to have you laughing and even singing along to its farcical, sarcastic numbers. This show really is making theatre… BETTER.

Gemma Whitfield

Ushers: The Musical is at Charing Cross Theatre until 19^th April 2014. For further information or to book visit the show’s website here.