Sinatra: The Musical at Aldwych Theatre

“June is busting out all over” feels like an apt refrain for Sinatra: The Musical, directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. A production that arrives with the same confidence and warmth as the man at its centre. Billed as the story of Frank Sinatra, it ultimately reveals itself to be something slightly more ambitious: an exploration of fame itself, of how a boy from New Jersey became one of the most influential entertainers of the 20^th century.

The musical charts Sinatra’s rise and fall across the 1940/50s, from saloons to studios, film sets and scandal. Yet what proves most compelling is not the familiar chronology but the refusal to sanitise its subject. The first act offers little room for sympathy. Ambition, ego and infidelity are presented plainly, allowing the audience to decide whether genius excuses personal failings.

Harper Jackson beautifully captures Sinatra’s unhurried cadence and easy charisma without descending into impersonation. Equally impressive is the vocal quality across the cast. These are voices rarely heard in contemporary music: full-bodied, smooth as velvet, and rich with the warmth of a bygone era.

Crucially, the songs serve the drama rather than interrupt it. They are not nostalgic box-ticking exercises but emotional commentary, illuminating the moments that shaped the music. Sinatra singing The Way You Look Tonight with his daughter, or his parents dancing to You Make Me Feel So Young, lend remarkable intimacy to a figure often obscured by celebrity. The production’s greatest achievement is making someone this famous feel unexpectedly real.

Visually, the show is exceptionally assured. Clever projections embed Sinatra into moving newspaper photographs, blending archival history with theatrical flair. The technicolour lighting evokes the optimism and glamour of post-war America, while the costumes – sharp trench coats, capri trousers and immaculately sculpted victory rolls – complete the illusion.

There are occasional shortcomings. The treatment of adultery sits uneasily at times. While often played for laughs, and the audience eagerly accepted every comic invitation, the light-hearted tone occasionally risks glamorising behaviour that forms the production’s central conflict. Yet the production hints that many of Sinatra’s greatest songs were born from precisely these personal failings.

The staging reaches its peak during Sinatra’s celebrated comeback. Alone on stage, framed by the orchestra, the lights suddenly collapse into a single spotlight. Fedora tilted, microphone waiting, he became instantly recognisable. It is a striking theatrical moment, distilling decades of fame into an unforgettable silhouette.

By the final curtain, Sinatra: the Musical feels less concerned with who Frank Sinatra was than with why audiences remain fascinated by him. It is an intimate rollercoaster of immigration, ambition, controversy, romance and reinvention – a potent mix of exactly the ingredients theatre audiences love. Like Sinatra himself, it occasionally overindulges, but its charm, craftsmanship and musical excellence ensure it remains a night to remember.