I Dreamed a Dream (tour – Southend, Cliffs Pavilion)

It’s a matter of record that Boyle has not had the easiest of lives. Brain-damaged at birth and the youngest of nine children in a deprived area of Scotland, she has gone on to become the world’s most unlikely superstar, having already broken into the UK and American markets within three years of her emergence.

And that’s just about all that I Dreamed a Dream tells us. It’s more of an affectionate homage than a true examination; everything is just a little too soft-focussed to sustain interest from anyone but the most die-hard “SuBo” fans. There are references to social and familial bullying, but these are glossed over, one suspects, for fear of upsetting the real-life protagonist.

The juke-box songs seem contrived and, in places, bear little relevance to the plot. If the dialogue – especially in the opening scene – were any cheesier, it would feature in a soufflé somewhere. What this production needs is a good re-write that will lift it from its current tedium and at least give it a fighting chance to see out its already limited shelf-life. In saying that, there are moments of brilliance that transcend the plodding pace of the rest of the show. More of these and less of the cloying tribute would transform I Dreamed a Dream into a viable piece of musical theatre.

Smith’s laconic delivery lacks pace and she doesn’t make a convincing Susan Boyle, although it has to be stated in the interests of fairness that Smith’s character is the “inner Susan”, rather than the shy and uneasy talent show contestant.

Morgan Large’s impressive backdrop of 100-plus television sets is let down by technical issues and the lighting is at best quirky, with actors often delivering lines and songs from total darkness or semi-shadow.

On this particular occasion, Boyle herself didn’t appear for the traditional post-curtain performance. One has to ask why it’s necessary for her to do so anyway. Surely an audience which is waiting for the curtain to fall to see what its members have really come for is not engaging with the production?

While teetering on the brink of “dire”, I Dreamed a Dream is by no means a complete turkey. Smith’s splendidly powerful and soaring vocal performance (contralto, rather than Boyle’s mezzo-soprano) redeems it, as does some inventive staging in the second act. Deep down somewhere there’s some decent musical theatre bubbling away. What a shame this version’s gone off the Boyle.