An Officer and a Gentleman the Musical starts week-long run in Sussex – we were there and here's what we thought

I mean the clue really is in the title, but somehow it had passed me by that this was an all-singing, all-dancing musical take on the hit 1980s movie starring Richard Gere.

I’ve never seen said movie, but I knew it was about the Navy and I guess I just supposed it was a theatrical interpretation of that.

So it was a joyous surprise to arrive at the theatre to find it was so much more than that.

Tickets can still be bought here.

It had energy, drama and cracking 80s tunes thrown in for good measure. It was just a really exciting way to spend a Tuesday night – or any other night of the week I should imagine!

We follow leading man Zack Mayo (played by Luke Baker) through the Navy’s officer training school as he bids to land a place learning to fly jets. Baker captures the spirit of the wayward and rebellious young man perfectly, and he has a killer voice to boot.

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His leading lady is Paula Pokrifiki (Georgia Lennon), a tough factory worker with hopes of becoming a nurse. Also blessed with a mega set of pipes, she helps move the romantic narrative along with real pace and feistiness.

It’s hard to single anyone in the cast out for praise because they were all so bloomin’ good.

Jamal Crawford is a force to be reckoned with as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley and former X-factor contestant Melanie Masson as Esther Pokrifki blew me away with her amazing voice.

There were two covers for the opening night. Zack’s best pal Sid Worley was played by Danny Whelan and Paula’s friend Lynette Pomeroy was played by Julia Jones. I had to double-check I’d got this right as they were both outstanding. You’d never know the roles weren’t theirs the whole time.

I also can’t not mention the excellent Olivia Foster-Browne as Casey Seegar, who was a complete powerhouse as a candidate for the first woman ever to fly jets.

And so the night went on with epic performance after epic performance. All set to a backdrop of absolute classics from Madonna, Bon Jovi, Blondie and more.

If that doesn’t make you feel good on a gloomy weekday evening, I don’t know what will!

An Officer and a Gentleman is running at Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday (April 27) as part of a nationwide tour. Shows are at 7.30pm with matinees on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.