In these days of reality talent shows it was obvious someone would come up with the idea of putting this concept and the BigBrother-stylee living on stage in a musical. This is exactly what writer Dave Simpson, Lisa Riley director and producer Stephen Leatherland have done.  They have got a fabulous script, a phenomenally talented celebrity cast, a very wide selection of songs and a cool, cleverly designed set.

Sam Kane as ‘EXtra Factor’ judge Ricky st Clair almost puts Simon Cowell in the shade with his underhanded scheming, sleezy and villainous behaviour.  Ricky is not above using anything at his disposal to get what or who he wants. As the show opens Ricky st Clair introduces us to the remaining finalists in UK’s ‘EXtra Factor’:

Gina (Sarah Jane Buckley), as the group’s matriarch may find her motherly instincts to be her undoing. Although vocally very, very strong she may not have the fight to succeed at any cost. Will she be able to keep her family secret under-wraps, or will she find the answer to the most important question from her teens? She seems to have the support of the masses in Dumfries but will that be enough?

Ricky st Clair

Gina, Harriett and Jamie

Mummies boy Cal (Antony Costa) the youngest male competitor, seems at first a bit daggy, totally naive and very un-worldly, but like his favourite TV show ‘Glee’, stuns you with his phenomenal voice. Can he charm the girl of his dreams with his rendition of “Hello”? Will the other males in the house be able to guide him from being a boy in to a man?

Jamie (Rob McVeigh) is the wide boy of the group, his sexual exploits are legend, at least that is what he says. Will his working class background work for or against him, when his songs range from Robbie Williams modern to the classic Rat Pack crooning? From sexy numbers to smooth and dreamy will the girls vote for him?

Ellie (Ciara Janson) the youngest female should really be peroxide blond; this stunning young woman comes over as a typical bimbo or airhead. Yet as things get tough her strength of character shines through and similarities between her and Cal are dispelled when circumstances change thanks to her fiancé’s newspaper story. She announces the split whilst singing “I Will Survive”!

Ray, Ellie and Cal

Quentin and Laura

Ray (John Altman) is the oldest of the group this gravely voiced rocker struggles with spectres from his past. In some ways is thriving in the Contestant’s house until Ricky throws spanners in the works by getting Ray’s second wife to go to the papers. Yet they say confession is good for the soul could this be the making of him?

Last but certainly not least is Harriett (Miranda Wilford) this blond is definitely nobodies fool. Educated at boarding school she comes across as posh totty, but this young lady will do almost anything to get her dream to come true. She seemingly twists the knives at every opportunity. Her planned breakdown in the semi-final backfired when Gina rushes on stage to rescue a damsel in distress.

Dance coach Quentin (Simon Ouldridge) may not have a singing part but his camp efforts to get everyone to bend over backwards are hilarious. Laura (Kate Ankers) once Harriett’s best friend storms on set refuting Harriett’s claims her fiancée is in a wheelchair.

Superbly written you veer from hysterical laughter to almost abject pity, some of the plot twists are so obvious you almost can’t believe they follow that route, others so unexpected, gasps were heard from the audience. The storyline is interspersed with fabulous vocal demonstrations from this star-studded cast. Joining the cast at each venue is a local talent supposedly ejected from the show the week before, in Dumfries on Thursday 15^th April it was Barry Wilson who produced a very creditable performance. Sadly ‘PopStar!’ the Musical has only one more visit to Scotland this tour and that is 20^th to 22^nd May in the Eden Court Theatre Inverness, If you feel you would like to see the show go to www.theatre-productions.com for further dates or join their FaceBook page “Friends of Theatre Productions”.