We were lucky enough to be at the premiere of Military Wives the Musical at the York Theatre Royal last night. The evening got off to a brilliant start with the original military wives choir from Catterick singing live in the foyer pre-show. The choir was formed 15 years ago to keep the wives and partners of servicemen deployed to Afghanistan busy. This performance was both poignant and moving.

Debbie Isitt’s musical, is based on the 2019 film of a similar name. It tells of a group of very different woman coming together in song, comforting each other and forging friendships for life. It holds the message of how singing in a group can be so uplifting. Led by an outsider to the barracks, Olive (played energetically by Bobbie Little) creates a nurturing choir, despite the mix of characters she has to work with. Characters which the audience can relate to; the mum of 4 always rushing about, the quiet one lacking in confidence, the gay wife struggling with IVF, the pregnant one ‘going it alone’ whilst her husband is away, the religious one and the one whose marriage is on the rocks. As the play goes on, we fall more in love with them all, desperately wanting to delve deeper into their lives. All the acting is incredibly strong throughout. Special mention must go to Stewart Wright who plays croc-wearing Dave, the welfare officer left to look after the women. The timing of his lines were perfect and he bought great humour to the stage. The cast are this show’s biggest asset for sure.

The script is both hilarious and heartbreaking; one minute the audience is belly-laughing, the next reaching for the tissues. The stories of the choir and that of their partners miles away are intertwined seamlessly. The fact that the male actors take varying roles is impressive.

In the second half, the minutes silence was met with the audience barely daring to breathe, as a continued shower of red petals fell from the ceiling. Moving to say the least.

The set is simple yet clever, piles of boxes become houses, war zones and even a mountain.The finale of the concert at the Royal Albert Hall was incredibly rousing and the audience had given the ladies a standing ovation before the performance had even ended! It wasn’t long before we were all up on our feet again, cheering this quite brilliant show and all who took part.

As we left the theatre, one of the Wags from Catterick Garrison said that it really resonated with them and that it was a true depiction of immense bravery not only to the servicemen but also of the courageous and formidable women left behind. What higher accolade can you get?

(L-R)Bobbie Little, Stewart Wright, Rachael Wooding, Emma Crossley, Billy Roberts, Ashleigh Gray, Sydney Isitt-Ager, Joe Kelly, Jessica Daley, Kayla Carter, Adrian Hansel and Caroline Sheen Photo: Danny With A Camera

Military Wives the Musical York Theatre Royal until 27 September