Reader Reviews
Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury Theatre, West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | They've made a decent job of creating a story to hang the music on, the designs are suitably loud, the choreography is fresh and the cast are clearly having a ball. The problem is that the songs just aren't good enough to justify all the effort, so it comes nowhere near the gold standard for this type of show - Mamma Mia and Our House. It turns out to be a rather bizzarre combination of high camp and 2007 street yoof. The best vocal performance comes from Hope Augustus as Sunny's mum - up against her, Harvey and Javine appear mere amateurs. - 86.144.100.101) | 20 Jan 07 |
| it's a 'greatest hits' musical so don't go expecting Chekhov but I found it fun and the sets are impressive. A good night out for Christmas works outings and hen nights... but don't pay much more than £15 for a ticket in my opinion. Not the car crash some had predicted, by far. - 195.93.21.101) | 20 Nov 06 |
| absolutely fantastic show well worth going to see , it was my mum and my 18 yr old sons first musical and they both enjoyed it ( and believe me thats a first !) from the youngest to the oldest performer on that stage they all gave it everything they had, it felt like more than just a musical the whole audience were up dancing at the end .Id like to say congratulations to Harvey for hes first stage performance he proves hes more than a pretty face and singer ! its also given me a great idea for those xmas pressies i didnt know what to get people they are all getting daddy cool tickets now and i know they will enjoy it just as much as we did - 80.41.25.247) | 19 Nov 06 |
| 24 Oct 06. Excellent music, singing and the dancing awesome - thoroughly enjoyable evening. Well done! - 85.133.121.192) | 28 Oct 06 |
| Went tonight....shocking. No plot, hated the music, what a waste of money!! Really disappointed. It's like watching a cheap version of West Side Story with really bad music!! - 86.138.239.240) | 27 Oct 06 |
| I went to the theatre with a friend not expecting to know many songs, but was surprised that I recognized a number of them. The music and dancing are first rate and the performers are talented and attractive. The show has some amusing moments and some dramatic ones, but felt it focused most on the music and for all age. Daddy Cool made my night! - 216.165.62.69) | 22 Oct 06 |
| excellent night out - brilliant cast - john - 194.60.38.10) | 10 Oct 06 |
| Fantastic show, I went two weeks ago and I am going again tonight and taking family. Great music and costumes, Javine has a great voice, I am really looking forward to seeing it again. - 195.93.21.101) | 04 Oct 06 |
| Like others reading the reviews of this musical, with hestitation we went to see this show last night and although the storyline is not that brilliant (Just like We Will Rock You's story is not brilliant either) This musical is fantastic especially the final scence of act one which is a visually stunning singing and dancing disco. The star of the show in my opinion is Melanie La Barrie who's voice I could have listened too all night. Even Michelle Collins I now realise can sing and Javine can really belt them out too. A great cast and by the carnival finale and the giant parrot the whole audience were on their feet clapping along and to my surprise as I was having such a great time I joined in and I do not normally do that. This show and cast are brilliant, the singing is great the sets are not wooden except at the begining when they are supposed to be the parrot is meaningless but what the heck the show sends you out in to the night very happy indeed. If you want a good night out, you will enjoy this show. As you can tell I loved it. - 205.188.116.9) | 03 Oct 06 |
| This is the WORST production I have ever seen on the WestEnd. One can assume the success of MAMMA MIA! inspired the creators of this show to devise their story around a few BONEY M (and other Frank Farian) hits. I felt so sorry for the cast who had to wade through this quagmire of bad writing and amateurish directing. The childish and naive plot is a disgrace and the Romeo&Juliet angle is such a tired device. And on top of that you'll find echos of WestSideStory as well. During the show I thought about some T-Shirts I would like to print and sell outside the theatre. "Admire me - I sat through the entire production of Daddy Cool", "I went back to High School, you can too; see Daddy Cool", "My hair has more highlights than Daddy Cool" "Forget Fear Factor - try Daddy Cool" etc. Sadly the encore was the only time the show got some energy and vibes going, because then we get an imitation of Boney M in their heyday. But it's too little too late. Go see something else, don't waste your time. - 198.54.202.210) | 03 Oct 06 |
| I am really shocked at the high scores this production has received. Their is no doubt that the cast work extremely hard (except the dodgy performance from Michelle Collins)but you can not get away from the fact that the show is tripe!! Don't go. - 80.3.64.12) | 30 Sep 06 |
| I went to see this show tonight, with very low expectations, having read several reviews, I had resigned myself to an evening of misery. How wrong could I have been? The cast and musicians were excellent, the dancing, amazing. My girlfriend and I had a fantastic time, although the story left a little to be desired, this was made up for in the songs and the atmosphere. There was the odd mistake here and there which only added to our enjoyment, Michelle Collins walking into a wall by mistake when she was aiming for the door 2 feet to her left has to be one of the funniest things I have seen on a west end stage for a long time, even if it wasnt supposed to happen. The parrot bit was a little strange, but I think it was supposed to represent the notting hill carnival, so, I can kind of see what it was for. All in all, a throuughly enjoyable evening. - 80.3.0.44) | 29 Sep 06 |
| Was expecting to hate this but ended up having some fun...... The script is a ghastly updating/travesty of Romeo & Juliet, full of feeble jokes, pointless scenes and unintentional hilarity, the three nominal stars are little better than adequate (in fact Michelle Collins isn't even that), and some of Boney M's hits are decidedly eggy. Despite all that, the production is saved by some isolated moments of bravura staging, a fleeting but genuine sense of excitement in some of the club and fight scenes, and the performances of Melanie La Barrie, Dwayne Wint, Camilla Beeput and Larrington Walker. What the hell the tacked-on Caribbean finale is all about is anyone's guess, yet the pounding disco beat and high energy choreography still send you out on something of a high. A bizarre addition to the West End. - 89.145.197.114) | 26 Sep 06 |
| Frankly, this desrved to be crowned as the worst show (you can't call it a musical!) I've ever seen. The jokes are corny, there's no acting, no plot, and the set is just amateurish. The only redeeming feature in those so called musicals that are based on songs of 1970s groups is the songs themselves but in this case, even this part was badly damaged by mediocre vocalists, lousy amplification, and horrendous musical arrangements that destroys everything. For the first time in my life, I left the auditorium during the break and didn't come back. I'm glad I spent only 15 pounds on the ticket. It wasn't worth a single penny, I'm afraid. - 84.228.77.168) | 26 Sep 06 |
| its a must see show fantastic music great memories .just sit back and enjoy .very colourful show carnival atmosphere - 81.77.122.148) | 25 Sep 06 |
| This musical is superb. A hot night out. The whole thing is lovable (naff bits and all). A strong cast and black talent that really shines. Choreography that impresses, sets that raise an eyebrow and a huge parrot....Daddy Cool is a must see that remembers the audience...something that most musicals forget nowadays. - 195.82.120.110) | 24 Sep 06 |
| This was awful..... I paid a full price ticket. The plot was awful. The music was predictable(rubbish). The dance routines were imaginable to the new twist. What a waste of money..... - 217.44.108.29) | 24 Sep 06 |
| please stay away do not spend £40 or more on this load of trash once more the shaftesbury has got a big flop on its hands get rid of it and put in OVER HERE.!!!!!1 - 80.3.64.12) | 22 Sep 06 |
| Not the worst show I have ever seen, but no-where near the best either. Michelle Collins was completely miscast as Ma Baker and looked as if she was more bored than I was half of the time. I feel this show would have been much more successful had they kept the original music of the Boney M classics instead of trying to rap them up. Like most turkey's, this show will be lucky to survive past Christmas! - 217.154.227.140) | 21 Sep 06 |
| This is a musical that will get young people into theatres. Its a high energy show with lots of great songs and bright appealing sets. Javine has a great voice, Harvey was also very good and I never knew Michelle Collins could belt out a tune with the best of them. This is not a masterpiece, but to sum it up its highly enjoyable, fun and I guarantee you will have a great evening. - 80.3.0.44) | 17 Sep 06 |
| This is the worst musical I have ever seen. I am extremely open minded but this is ridiculous The acting is terrible (wooden like a tree,) not to mention the trashy production of the show. Oh...and if you are going (bad luck,) take your sun glasses or risk waking up with a blinding migraine the next day, there's one particular scene....(a lot of people I know commented on this.) There was lots of pointless randomness. Ity really should have been a concert. Highlight - Javine singing. Thats it really. Not worth seeing. Avoid at ALL COSTS! - 80.47.33.140) | 15 Sep 06 |
| The acting is truly dire, bordering on the pantomime and the plot hardly better, but the songs just about pull this through. The singing is better than I expected and some of the dancing moderately impressive albeit not on the same scale as Fame or Movin Out. The producers seem desperate to make this show hip and cool but it rapidly falls back into Mamma Mia mode with only the novelty of some impressive Beatboxing to even suggest the 21st century. The lighting sadly suffers from the We Will Rock You attitude that, an epileptic audience cannot say no, so expect strobe type effects throughout. It's good fun and the conclusion is so absurd that you can't help but laugh. - 81.156.72.217) | 14 Sep 06 |
| I think perhaps this show would work better as a concert as it does not work as a musical on any level. I wish it well but I fear the worst. - 87.74.125.134) | 14 Sep 06 |
| A wonderfull show. Just perfect. Nothing else to add. - 195.93.60.65) | 10 Sep 06 |
| A great fun show, mixing old-style Boney-M tracks with some modern hip hop (plus a few tragic milli vanilli numbers thrown in!) It is hard to watch this show without a smile on your face... (Rasputin as an East London hip hop producer!) - 155.198.28.14) | 04 Sep 06 |
| Daddy Cool is a fantastic musical for lovers of Bonny M and lovers of a wide range of musical genres including: Hip Hop Beat Boxing, Garage beats and 70's disco. With stars like Harvey and Javine you felt you should get out of your seats and rush the stage to join in!! I felt that Michelle Collins played the character of Ma Baker very well and could belt out a tune just as well as everyone else on the stage. The plot is weak but the enthusiasm the actors put in make up for it and it’s worth seeing the show for the first West End production to include Beat Boxing (you don’t see that in Les Mis!!!). I would absolutely recommend it as it is a colourful, creative musical and would say it is definitely one of the ‘Cool’ productions on the West End. - 62.255.88.154) | 04 Sep 06 |
| The show get a big thumbs up from me - the music was great and the acting good.One major thing though...I booked front row tickets, after being told by booking agent that there was lots of room and i would not have a strained neck(as i really suffer with arthritis in my neck).When we got there the seats were an absolute nightmare. We could not sit properly in the seats due to the orchestra barrier being right in front of you, and this distorted the view. Also the stage was so close that you were constantly stretching to see. I asked along with everyone else on the front row if we could move and was rudely told by the box office woman that it was tough..even though there were seats available. Just to reiterate how bad it was..we could not get past people on the row as there was literally no room!!! Take my advice...go an see the show....but do not get front row tickets!!! - 84.66.114.79) | 03 Sep 06 |
| What a show. Where else can you gt such a diverse evening. This is not your ordinary musical. So for people who enjoy les mis etc.... dont come. Its for people who want to have a good night of fun. Its a high spirited show that has been very well recieved. So for you people like Charlie "i have nothing better to do than critisie" dont bother coming. Go and see footlose....zzzzzz and les mis....zzzzz. What is great about the show is it brings people to the west end that have never been before. Which will never be a bad thing. Daddy Cool is a MUST SEE.... - 82.45.189.54) | 03 Sep 06 |
| Ignore the comments of Charley Barley, he must have been having a bad day or something! Daddy Cool fills a gap in the west end. Offering Hip Hop, beat boxing, breakdancing, garage beats as well as 70's disco, this show will appeal to younger audiences as well as established fans of Boney M. The storyline is as good as anything you'll find in the west end and far better in some cases. True, it takes a slight dip in the second half with 1 or 2 too many ballads but the acting is fine. It's an uplifting and fun production and well worth a look. Ian K - 80.189.188.16) | 03 Sep 06 |
| Ignore the comments of Charley Barley, he must have been having a bad day or something! Daddy Cool fills a much needed gap in the west end. Offering Hip Hop, beat boxing, breakdancing, garage beats as well as 70's disco, this show will appeal to younger audiences as well as established fans of Boney M. The storyline is as good as anything you'll find in the west end and far better in some cases. True, it takes a slight dip in the second half with 1 or 2 too many ballads but the acting is fine. It's an uplifting and fun production and well worth a look. Ian K - 80.189.188.16) | 03 Sep 06 |
| Even though it's 16 weeks until Christmas, the Shaftesbury Theatre's turkey has arrived early. This is sad, as the performers give it their best shots - though there seemed to be some awkward glances between cast members when I saw it on Tuesday night. The walkdown is played in front of an orange curtain that looks like it came from the nightclub in "Phoenix Nights" and wasn't that settee in Act 2 last seen here in "Bat Boy: The Musical"? Michelle Collins is forced to twiddle her thumbs in view upstage while everyone else takes their bows before she can walk forward to take her applause - when, surely, the cast should be entering from the wings for the "Who's Best"? Then we have the megamix as the cherry on the cake - but there's problems here too. Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside onto Shaftesbury Avenue (after what we all thought was the end of the show, the audience started to rise from their seats - or was that a standing ovation?) yet another medley from the Boney M back-catalogue begins and we all sit back down as the show hits the 3-hour mark. This post-plot finale needs to be played segue without dropping in cloths and projecting grey clouds to depress us further. The opening of "Daddy Cool" got delayed because (according to La Collins on BBC TV's "Breakfast" a couple of days ago) "the show wasn't ready". With less than 3 weeks before the Press get to see the "hottest show in London" there's still lots of work to do. - 195.93.21.101) | 02 Sep 06 |
| Have wrote two other reviews so will summarise - worst musical ever. Woeful acting, abysmal structure/story and confusing order....don't spend more than 10 quid on this show, I'll give it no more than 3 months in the west end. Awful. Go see Les Mis, Footloose, We Will Rock You....anything.... - 84.9.59.98) | 02 Sep 06 |
| shocking! never seen anything quite like it. I feel sorry for some members of the cast. - 81.1.105.44) | 01 Sep 06 |
| hey where else in london can you get hip hop, boney m. and a parrot. everything that's done is done more than well. fantastic performers who brought a fusion of than and now. i liked it and will go again if just to find out why. - 84.177.78.239) | 31 Aug 06 |
| Sorry to say that this show is 100% appalling - I give it one month! Such a shame for the cast. The creative team have let them down - 87.74.125.134) | 30 Aug 06 |
| How wierd, I too was there on opening night and found the audience was just being polite to an otherwise hopeless show. As soona s the curtains came down, everyone stood up and left. I actually didn't mind the show too much (because I really like Boney M) but then I only paid 10 pounds for the tickets. Had I paid more I may have been a lot more upset! Thin plot, some good singing, terrible acting and a crescendo in the middle rather than end. - 66.9.36.2) | 29 Aug 06 |
| Yes so it's cheesy as hell but who cares. I went not expecting too much and I was happily surprised. I enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining evening and was on my feet for the last 15 minutes along with everyone else clapping, cheering and dancing along to some classic songs. The story is a bit thin (although thicker than many other 'tribute' type shows currently running) and it links the songs together nicely. The sets are simple but effective. The cast were excellent - Michelle Collins was great - who knew she could belt a number out like that, Javine was also fantastic and it is still a travesty that she didn't make it into the final line up for Girls Aloud. Harvey, someone who I didn't know much about before I went was very good too - his rapping was spot on and he joined in and sang and danced with the best of them on stage. All in all a brilliant nights entertainment - don't go along expecting Macbeth, just expect a great night of cheesy entertainment with some great laugh out loud moments and some fantastic song and dance numbers - oh, and watch out for the parrot incase you miss it's fleeting appearance.... - 86.129.202.221) | 26 Aug 06 |
| BRILLIANT - very camp and in parts so bad it makes it brilliant. Some fantastic bits and Harvey and Jarvine are great. Go and try it - you will have a really good night out. - 81.154.179.114) | 26 Aug 06 |
| A very enthusiastic first night audience couldn't wait to get involved, clapping along the instant the musical director commenced proceedings. The storyline follows the meeting and mutual love of Sunny and Rose, the offspring of two mothers who have a history of involvement with Sunny's long departed "Daddy Cool." Their children's romance reignites an old feud and causes a musical competition between the opposing factions. Daddy Cool brings us many Boney M hits that are performed as originally by Boney M in the 70s and 80s, but also, in the modern day gangsta rap style. This merging of two pop music styles will appeal to the older audience who were enthralled by the hits of Boney M, and the younger audience who seem to relate to the rap style. I have never paid much attention to rap but I concede that in this context there is a place for it in today's music! Act One started and continued throughout with hi-energy performances by singers and dancers with musical numbers such as: Hooray Hooray It's A Holi-Holiday, Mary's Boy Child, Ma Baker, Brown Girl In The Ring and others. Act Two started in vibrant style and then lapsed into a more balladic phase, which though relevant to the story and including some very fine solos, left me feeling that the impetus generated in Act One was somwhat lost. However, the final scene and the reprise of many of the songs, after the performers had given their closing bows, rekindled the energy and had the audience clapping along enthusiastically once again. Songs in Act two include: Painter Man, Rasputin, Can't Stand The Rain, Blame It On The Rain and others. The central characters were quite strong, the dancers very polished, and the mix of Boney M and Rap style songs worked well for me. The production requires a little fine tuning. The audience were keen to express their appreciation after each number but the performers seemed a little too keen to continue resulting in some dialogue being lost in the applause. Also, some of the lower key opening lines to songs need either a stronger vocal volume, or a quieter, softer orchestral accompaniment. The scenary changes were frequent and clever use of space and levels meant there was always plenty to observe. I do not mean my observations to detract from a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I am sure the adjustments will be, speedily, made. I have tried not to review the entire performance or mention some splendid comedic moments in detail. I close with the recommendation that Daddy Cool is a show well worth seeing - and watch out for the parrot! - 195.93.21.101) | 23 Aug 06 |
