“Summer Holiday” at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
John Murphy in North East England
★★★★☆
29 September 2026
If you’re going to revive Summer Holiday – originally adapted from the 1963 Cliff Richard movie into a stage musical in the 1990s – there is no point putting a modern twist on things, or adding some sort of dark subtext. The right approach is to totally lean into the silliness, the cheesiness, and pretty much celebrate that this is a musical more frothy than an iced cappuccino.
Nis Raza Hamilton, Trudy Ward and Matthew James Hinchliffe.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan.
Elizabeth Newman, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres (who shares directing credits here with Ben Occhipinti), has form with Summer Holiday. She’s previously staged revivals of the musical in both Bolton and Pitlochry, but Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan’s new adaptation gives the story a twist by adding a Sheffield flavour to proceedings.
The plot, such as it is, is light. Three friends set out on a trip around Europe on a “South Yorkshire People’s Network” bus, travelling through France, Italy, and Switzerland en route to Greece. On their way, the trio meet a pop group, Do Re Mi, who are stuck on the road after breaking down, and Barbara, an American singing superstar who has disguised herself as a young boy in order to escape her showbiz “momager”.
It hardly matters that the story is as predictable as it comes though, when the emphasis is on how much fun this is to watch. The songs draw on a range of Cliff Richard’s hits, and include crowd-pleasing numbers such as “In the Country”, “Move It”, and “The Young Ones”. George Jones, who plays Don, is a fine stand-in for Cliff, combining easy-going charm with a decent voice – his chemistry with the excellent Fanta Barrie, who plays Barbara, gives the production its heart.
Isaac Savage and and Ava Duncan.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan.
Amanda Stoodley’s set is bright and colourful, and she adds a lot of fun touches throughout. The bus is portrayed in a number of ways, from a simple steering wheel and seats to a mini remote-controlled toy version, while landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Colosseum are represented by movable cardboard cut-outs. Newman and Occhipinti also take advantage of the Crucible’s famous thrust stage, such as introducing Do Re Mi’s Mini car emerging from the centre of the set.
The cast all have impressive voices, although it’s fair to say that this isn’t a production where you need first-class acting skills. Aside from Barrie and Jones, the highlight is veteran Scottish actress Jane McCarry’s Stella, who owns every scene in a marvellously over-the-top way. It’s almost like she is channelling Mo Gaffney’s character Bo from Absolutely Fabulous, and is obviously having the time of her life doing so.
There are also some marked diversions from the original source material, such as a male member of Do Re Mi embarking on a romance with Jim Duah’s Edwin, adding a touch of gay representation to this otherwise most steadfastly hetero-normative of musicals.
It all becomes very silly in the second half, and proudly so, but the musical numbers keep things moving at a rapid pace – the cast all play their own instruments (supported by two further musicians atop the stage) and, during the instrumental numbers, do their best impressions of Hank Marvin and The Shadows. You can only imagine what a box-office sensation this would be if a band like McFly were to be cast as the main protagonists.
As fluffy and lightweight as it is, Summer Holiday does make for unashamedly feel-good entertainment. After its run in Sheffield, the production is due to transfer over to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre, where it will no doubt feel as at home as a trip up the Tower and candyfloss.
