Theatre Review: Just For One Day

Leave your cynicism at the door.

Jukebox musicals usually stick to a single-artist (Mamma Mia, & Juliet, Tommy). As a result, they all start to sound a bit samey after a few numbers. Shows like Return To The Forbidden planet shoe-horn in songs from a dozen artists without much regard to plot, tone, or pacing.

Just For One Day goes down a different route. Rather than just recreate the famous Live Aid concert with a procession of soundalikes, it attempts to tell the story behind the concert. In doing so, it chops dozens of songs into thousands of pieces and lets the snippets segue seamlessly into the prose. It entwines the songs into each other beautifully. A supremely talented cast backed with a superb live band - it is guaranteed to have you screaming and cheering.

The central plot device is a little silly - a mother who went to the concert is chiding her teenage daughter about political activism. It is a bit mawkish and gets the show off to a stage-schooly start. Similarly, the daughter's righteous indignation fuels her interrogation of Saint Geldof which, again, becomes a bit preachy.

But that's the nature of Live Aid. It is preachy. And for all the arguments about whether it was the right thing to do - at least it did something. The show doesn't gloss over some the problems - and problem personalities - behind the production. Nor does it shy away from the reality of the limits of the help provided. Albeit backed by joyous music.

I felt that it pulls its punches a little bit. Rather than showing any footage from the Ethiopian famine, it recycles a speech Geldof gave a few years ago.

Nevertheless, it is a powerful and moving spectacle.

Oh, and there's a rap battle between Bob Geldof and Mrs Thatcher.

Tickets start at £20. The music is so loud, and the staging so expressive, that you'll get a decent view from the cheap seats.

Far better than the average jukebox musical.

Pre-show and Post-show

As regular readers of my theatre reviews know, I'm obsessed with how theatres treat their patrons.

Bag searches were conducted quickly, and they were happy to let me bring in a small plastic bottle of water. The Shaftesbury has spacious corridors and bars. There are plenty of toilets which - in a shocking departure from West End tradition - are well maintained.

There's a little bit of set dressing inside the theatre to allow the audience to take selfies with famous backdrops. That's cute - but it might have been nice if they'd added a few more, or even put up original posters, press clippings, etc.

As we exited the theatre we were handed a commemorative ticket! What a swell idea! I thought it contained a QR code to donate to the Band Aid Charitable Trust or find out more about their projects. Instead it's a coupon for £20 off your next visit. That feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.