Victoria Wood has written some brilliant plays but she missed with this one. There was a good idea to create a story about the Manchester Schools Choir and their 1929 recording of Purcell's 'Nymphs and Shepherds', but turning it into a musical wasn't. The first requirement of a good musical is good music. Unfortunately this used the same tunes that every failed musical has used since time immemorial. The lack of music might also have shown up that there was just too much sentimentality. I hope that this effort doesn't put off Victoria writing again, but please play it straight next time. She is good at creating authentic characters and authentic dialogue in locations and situations that she understands.
Review of That Day We Sang
