Ushers are the unsung heroes of the theatre. They have the power to make or break your
experience, and yet, few recognise the hard work that they put in to do just that. Set in a West End Theatre about to put on yet another jukebox musical, the show follows five ushers as they go about their usual working shifts of selling programmes and ice creams. However, behind their painted smiles, each usher tries to hide a different story: a stressful first shift as an untrained usher, a three-year long relationship on the rocks, not to mention the watchful eye of their boss, adamant on increasing their ‘spend per head’ and profit margins.
Each usher, as well as having their own unique backstory, has their own personality. From
Lucy (Danielle Rose) the shy but determined hard worker, to Stephen (Christopher Foley)
who feels he has missed his shot at being one of the greatest stars of all time. In the end, every theatre kid will recognise themselves through at least one of the characters, making this show incredibly inclusive and relatable. The standout performance, however, must be
attributed to Bethany Amber Perrins (Rosie), the very enthusiastic worker who never fails to make the audience laugh. Her bubbly personality as she enters the audience to glare torches under our seats, or as she clumsily tries to pull up a chair to mimic a famous piece of choreography from Chicago, these moments never fail to make the audience laugh.
Ushers features big and bold musical numbers with references to the most famous of shows,
including a fosse-like style choreography in some of the songs. The references can also be
found in some of the melodies by Yiannis Koutsakos, which hide, amongst many others,
the menacing piano chords from Oliver!, as well as the up-tempo themes from Chicago. All of this just goes to show the passion for theatre hiding behind every usher, the bursting desire to just be present when history has its eyes on the stage, and they are not about to throw away their shot.
The book by James Rottger is chock-full of the stagiest references, some of which are not
even a week old, and bring the audience to tears of laughter from start to finish. This is
clearly a show for the theatre kids, those who will notice the many hints to the shows the
actors were previously in, and pick-up on the tiniest details pointing to other famous musicals, or even recognise their own habits in the theatregoers they describe. And in the end, it is the little big details that stay on their minds.
So, if you are in the market for a serious show which brings justice to the hard work put in by
the front of house teams, then you may not have found the right one. However, if you are
looking for a show that will leave you in stitches whilst bringing justice to the ushers, then
you have definitely found yourself the perfect night out in this place where you (as the avid or the casual theatregoer, whichever you may be) belong.
Calling all theatre kids! Good afternoon and welcome – take your seats, the show is about to
begin. Ushers runs at The Other Palace Studio until 19th May - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Craig Fuller
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