(seen at the afternoon performance on 28th March 2026)
Almost ten years ago, the monkey wrote of Samantha Barks and Jonathan Bailey in a production at the St James’s (now The Other Palace) Theatre,
“Based purely on vocal performances, this is a five-star show. Samantha Barks (Cathy) and Jonathan Bailey (Jamie) connect wonderfully with the lyric, under writer Jason Robert Brown’s expert direction… Still, it’s unlikely this will appear in the West End again for a good while, and even if it does, it’s unlikely it’ll be as well sung and acted as this.”
The 2021 Southwark Playhouse / Garrick Theatre revival was outstandingly strong, in fact – and now this short week at the London Palladium proves entirely the monkey wrong. Not only on the singing and acting front either; staging, direction and production are equally unequalled.
Simply, this brief run justifies the eye-watering ticket prices and sears Cathy and Jamie into the heart as well as the brain.
Designer Bretta Gerecke comes up with a New York fire escape / loft set with huge windows, both lit feelingly by Mark Smith to denote time and emotions.
There are staircases, slid on docks and a bedroom; and the cardigan really does make her look like Daisy Mae from “Lil Abner.” A tired audition dress like hundreds of other hopefuls, gorgeous wedding gown, flamboyant shirt and worn writer trousers – the actors are aided immeasurably by it all.
And that is before Jason Robert Brown and associate director Emma Butler have Rachel Zegler (Cathy) and Ben Platt (Jamie) use the vast Palladium stage as if it were a cramped walk-up, vast Central Park, summer stock refuge somewhere 40 miles from Cincinnati and more.
Both read the roles very differently to previous incarnations. Zegler’s Cathy is fiercely independent, with the emotional needs of a woman already matured and developed.
She is questioning herself, having been wrong-footed by how her marriage has developed. From early “See I’m Smiling” when anger and disappointment seep around her mask, no feeling is left unexamined. The cauterisation of her wounds is deep and painful.
That she can also stop the show with comic relief “A Summer In Ohio” and autobiographical (wonderfully staged) “I Can Do Better Than That” demonstrates yet again her infinite vocal and acting range as she twice stops the show.
Ben Platt never falters either. From generous to selfish bear of a man, his love is always performative, his motives self-seeking.
Confused rather than lacerated in love,” Shiksa Goddess” is the finest rendition the monkey has seen, fresh and inventive.
Even greater heights are reached in “The Schmuel Song.” Usually a bit of whimsy, easy to tune out, Platt’s ability to spin this yarn and make it personal is unparalleled.
That he can deliver without conscience “Nobody Needs To Know,” stretched out beside a lover, write off his wife with an arctic-level freezing “I Could Never Rescue You,” yet still have us pondering the good somewhere within him is a very particular show-stopping feat as well.
Platt also confides in guitarist Tommy Emmerton at one point, just one of the eight strong band, with Jason Robert Brown himself on keys. Musical director Leo Munby must take credit for the precision with which the on-stage team delivers.
In terms of theatrical triumph, this is basically “Evita 2” for all concerned – without the need to freeze Zegler outdoors or cover Platt is gore.
A show which is always in danger of drooping, thanks to its length and energy audiences require to unravel and interpret, is given a sensational new clarity.
Sadly, Jamie (and Cathy) will be over and gone in London too soon. If you can catch the world tour performances, do so. One of the best the monkey has seen in the last five years, and that is not just a pun to end on.
5 stars. Standing ovation given.
Photographs: Copyright Theatremonkey.com 2026. All rights reserved.