West End Wednesday: I CAN’T SING!

I Can’t Sing! is a 2014 British musical that is based on hit reality TV singing competition, The X Factor. The premise of the competition sees undiscovered singing talent from the UK and Ireland battle it out on national television in front of a judging panel and audience vote to gain a record deal and prominence. The show debuted in 2004 and instantly became a British staple. The adaptation of the series into a musical was first mentioned by writer and British comedian Harry Hill in 2012. The production, then entitled It’s Time to Face the Musical! was confirmed in 2013 to open a year later. A few months after the confirmation, it was announced that the musical would be opening at the prestigious London Palladium and would now be called I Can’t Sing!, with music and additional lyrics by Steve Brown and co-produced by Cowell himself. 

I Can’t Sing! charters the rags to riches story of contestant Chenice who believes she has the inability to sing. When she bumps into aspiring musician Max who is blown away by her talent, he persuades Chenice to enter The X Factor. Chenice enters hoping the prize money will mean a new life for her and her grandpa. The musical contained characters based on real life figured and a mixture of parody characters. 

The rehearsals for the West End premiere began on 6 January 2014. The cast had previously rehearsed and presented two numbers for promotion that were aired on The Royal Variety Show in November 2013. Previews were scheduled to commence on 27 February, however due to technical difficulties, the first few previews were either cancelled or aborted. The first official preview was 5 March; however, the production was still plagued with problems during previews and in some instances had interval lengths of 50 minutes. The musical opened on 25 March. The production was directed by Sean Foley, choreographed by Kate Prince, set design was by Es Devlin, costume design was by Leah Archer, illusions were by Scott Penrose, lighting design by Jon Clark, orchestrations by Chris Egan, and sound by Gareth Owen. The opening night cast included Cynthia Erivo as Chenice, Nigel Harman as Simon, Alan Morrissey as Max, Simon Lipkin as Barlow, Simon Bailey as Liam O’Deary, Victoria Elliot as Jordy and Ashley Knight as Louis. The musical massively divided audiences and critics alike with reviews ranging all the way from 5 star to 1 star. However, due to the production costs incurred by the show and the rent on one of the largest Theatres in the West End, I Can’t Sing! closed on 10 May 2014 after just six weeks at an estimated loss of £4 million. 

Unfortunately, due to the quick closure of the show and its financial losses, no recording of the show was ever made. However, a few clips of the show can be found on YouTube for your enjoyment.

Besties, I saw the show the day after they announced the closure and I honestly had the greatest time. Full of talent and a hilarious night out. Bring back I Can’t Sing! I say, because right now we need it, and there isn’t another show like it. 

FACTS:

Music: Steve Brown
Lyrics: Harry Hill and Steve Brown
Book:  Harry Hill

Theatre: The Palladium
Run: 5 March 2014 – 10 May 2014 (around 25 previews and 50 performances)