Review Roundup: MADE IN DAGENHAM Opens in the West End

Made in Dagenham, the heartwarming new musical, opens at the Adelphi Theatre tonight, 5 November. This stage adaptation of the hit British film has a book by Richard Bean, music by David Arnold and lyrics by Richard Thomas.

International film actress Gemma Arterton stars in the lead role of Rita O'Grady, with Adrian der Gregorian as her husband Eddie. Steve Furst is playing US Ford Executive Mr Tooley, Mark Hadfield is Harold Wilson, Sophie-Louise Dann is Barbara Castle, Sophie Stanton is Beryl, Heather Craney is Clare, Sophie Isaacs is Sandra, Julius D'Silva is Ford Dagenham boss Mr Hopkins and Naomi Frederick plays his wife Lisa. Isla Blair and David Cardy play Connie and Monty, respectively.

Essex 1968. Like millions of other workingwomen, each morning Rita O'Grady is just trying to get her husband out of bed, get the kids off to school and get to work at the factory on time. But life is about to change forever when it's announced that the girls in the stitching room of Ford's Dagenham car plant will have their pay grade dropped to 'unskilled'. Quickly drawing on a strength she never knew she had, Rita leads her friends in a battle against the might of Ford and the corruption of the Union supposed to protect them.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph: One danger, of course, was that earnestness might creep in. But when you've got a director as gifted with visual flair as Rupert Goold and a writer as wittily inclined as Richard Bean, the resulting rule of thumb is "Never give them a dull minute"...While it's perfectly engaging, the upbeat tone becomes faintly monotonous and the story is short on dramatic mileage. Former Bond girl Arterton possesses a fine singing voice, beauty and a commanding presence. But the show never digs that deep into its characters, flashes surprising amounts of female flesh considering it's flying the flag for empowerment, and would have been better off recycling some of the more memorable chart hits of the period; stand-out songs are scarce...Despite celebrating how a bunch of workers found their voice, the evening lacks a truly compelling one of its own.

Michael Billington, The Guardian: Although this musical version of a popular 2010 movie ends with a similarly rousing injunction to "Stand Up! Stand Up!" for women's rights, it sounds more like a way of ensuring a climactic ovation than encouraging us to take affirmative action...turned into a big, brassy musical, the show has mislaid the quality that made the film so good: a real heart...Much as I admire Gemma Arterton, she also radiates such allure as Rita that you never feel the character is undergoing a spectacular transformation from humdrum machinist to instinctive leader...There are things to enjoy in the show. Bunny Christie's design makes good use of the Ford plant's industrial machinery. Isla Blair as a dedicated shop steward, Sophie-Louise Dann as Barbara Castle and David Cardy as a trimming union man all give good performances. But, if I have left until last David Arnold's score, it is because it rarely rises above the functional and, like the show itself, strikes a feminist posture but lacks genuine passion.

Quentin Letts, The Daily Mail: This show, based on the 2010 film, is witty, fun, fitfully inventive and distinctly English. At its best it lays bare the injustice of unequal pay in the late 1960s and the sort of chauvinism (and tough American corporatism) the women had to overcome. At other moments it settles for cliché and corn. The tunes aren't much cop, though the lyrics are clever. Nor is the singing entirely great...Miss Arterton is a calm stage presence but she may be a little too bland for her character, inspirational strike leader Rita O'Grady...Writer Richard Bean takes a relentlessly comic approach, offering laughs but too few moments of grit...I liked the quirkiness but musical purists may feel that the gooning and gurning impairs emotional involvement with the women's plight...It is a colourful, amiable production, memorable chiefly for the brilliantly zany cameo of Wilson, much Dagenham repartee plus some uplifting moments of sisterhood.

Caroline Crampton, TheArtsDesk.com: The show is clearly intended to please the widest possible audience, so it's no surprise that the darker elements of the film version have been omitted...while the technicolour Sixties aesthetic has been dialled right up. The film made a valiant attempt to portray the grey grimness of life on a Dagenham estate, but the cleverly-designed stage set is vibrant from the outset. As we've come to expect from films-turned-musical...the songs are nothing memorable...That said, the vocal performances from the cast are impressive, especially the ensemble numbers...The crowning performance, though, comes from Steve Furst as American Ford supremo Tooley. His raucous musical number at the start of the second act...is a triumph and his sinister dialogue later on provides some much-needed depth. Because that's where this piece falls down...Gemma Arterton gives a creditable performance as strike ringleader Rita O'Grady, but the uniformity throughout of the script and the songs give her little room to progress from one state to another.

Haydn James, LondonTheatre1: This new musical is taking the theatre world by storm and will only go from strength to strength...From the moment the lights come up and the first chord is played it becomes clear just how entertaining and fun the show is going to be. The first thing that hits you is the impressive set and how it is utilised and presented...There are songs that are emotive and force you to sit back and listen with undivided attention but generally the songs help tell the story perfectly with razor sharp comedic content...Arterton's portrayal of Rita O'Grady is perfectly balanced in strength and vulnerability, making her endearing and her performance extremely demanding...It is safe to say there is not one weak link in the entire cast, they work perfectly as a unit to deliver a slick, funny, hard hitting and entertaining show. Made in Dagenham truly has all the elements that are needed to make a smash-hit musical, a collection of wonderful and original songs, a hilarious and powerful script, an amazing cast and one extremely impressive set.

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Photo Credit: Roy Tan