Rosie: A New Musical at Adelphi Theatre

After initially gracing the world as a studio album in 2024, Rosie: A New Musical finally makes its West End debut with a semi-staged gala performance at the Adelphi Theatre. With The Voice Kids star and YouTube sensation Lucy Thomas in a convincing lead and a heart-rending score, this musical is here to stay.

The show tells the story of Miss Rosie Boote (Lucy Thomas), who was raised in a convent in Ireland after her father’s untimely death, but then moves to London to chase her dream of becoming an actress. With the help of her friend Lily Turner (Desmonda Cathabel), she succeeds in becoming a Gaiety Girl and soon meets her lover, Geoffrey Taylour, 4^th Marquess of Headfort (Will Callan), whom she eventually marries despite facing backlash from both Geoffrey’s family and wider society.

Musically, composer Chris Broom’s Rosie has much to offer, with many earworms to boast. Suddenly, performed by Thomas, features when Rosie is about to head off to London and warmly expresses her deep desire to pursue her career. Could This Be Love At Last, featuring Will Callan, is a stunning love song after the couple meet and he realises his yearning desire to win her heart. But it is perhaps Starlight, which Rosie performs just after arriving in London and which is reprised after her first success, which steals the show. While there are some more upbeat, fun songs – such as Maisie and Romano’s – it does need to be said that Broom clearly favours more sombre ballads.

However, the story’s pacing is a little uneven. While the setup and lead into Rosie’s career as a Gaiety Girl is pulled off well, she quickly achieves her lifelong ambition, and instead the entire plot shifts its focus onto the love story, with her acting ambitions seeming little more than an afterthought in the second act. This makes both storylines resolve too quickly and easily, with tragic moments sometimes being resolved within a single number.

This hardly detracts from a production that is otherwise well put-together; it’s a joy to listen to, and with Yshani Perinpanayagam at the baton, each song is pulled off to perfection. With a few improvements to the book, this musical has a bright future ahead.