Musical version of ‘80s film cleared for take-off
Director Nikolai Foster gives us the lowdown on An Officer and a Gentleman
What kind of night are people in store for when they come to see the show?
People will be surprised when they come to see An Officer and a Gentleman. Because of the film’s iconic ending, I think a lot of people think of it as a cheesy ‘80s romcom. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a cheesy ‘80s romcom – and we offer some tasteful cheesy choices in our production – but audiences will be surprised by the depth of this story and how moving the show is. It is genuinely uplifting because we invest in the lives of these characters and care about them.
What makes An Officer and a Gentleman work well as a musical?
Filled with humility and quiet profundity, it delicately charts the lives and experiences of working class people in Pensacola, Florida, in the early ‘80s. In some ways these appear to be ordinary and unremarkable lives but the characters created by writer Douglas Day Stewart (based on his own experiences training to be a pilot) have remarkable stories to tell. When you throw a load of ‘80s pop hits into this world, it truly is uplifting. The songs in our show don’t propel the narrative forward but express something of the characters’ inner lives and emotions that they are unable to speak in their everyday lives.
How does the story resonate today?
At a time when we are finally starting to consider what a fairer society could look like – with particular emphasis on women’s rights, anti-racism and training opportunities available to those from disadvantaged backgrounds – this simple story from the ‘80s still has much to say about our society today.
All of these characters are seeking some kind of escape, including from a factory which doesn’t allow women to move up the hierarchy. In our play Casey Seeger is the first woman in history to “get jets” and Lynette believes her only escape from an abusive, alcohol-soaked
home life is literally on the wings of a naval aviator. Zack is desperate to make something of his life, trying to escape the shadow of his dominating father. The son of a high-ranking naval officer, Sid simply wants to play baseball and isn’t interested in following in his father’s footsteps. And Paula attempts to study for a nursing degree alongside her work at the factory.
Can you tell is something about the staging?
In creating a physical language for our production, we were interested in the Brutalist architecture which often characterises the soulless institutions and training bases depicted in the show. We were keen to create a world which could feel like a military base, the motel, bars and other places around Pensacola but which could also serve as an allegory for a prison – incarcerating the characters both literally and also as a metaphor. We also loved the ideas of ‘80s neon, the iconography of Americana and the huge advertising hoardings you see next to motels and malls in the States. All of the characters in the play are trying to escape and the imposing wire mesh walls of Michael Taylor’s design support this idea in a simple and highly effective way.
How did you decide which songs from the ‘80s to include? The immediacy and rawness of existing songs from the era the play is set offered an opportunity to glimpse into these characters’ souls and hear their inner thoughts. Popular pop songs have helped to articulate the emotions of our characters.
Why do you think people love this story so much?
An Officer and a Gentleman is a low-key story with a closing scene that has become legendary. Actually, the famous final scene very nearly didn’t happen because Richard
Gere believed the ending was too cheesy - hyperbole that contradicted the visceral grittiness of the rest of the film. In some ways he was right but it’s a moment of magical realism that celebrates the unspoken ambitions and hopes for a better future, which is something we can all relate to. Who doesn’t have moments where they’d like to escape to a better life? I think this is the central reason the film was so successful.
Why do you think the stage version is so popular?
There’s the innate juxtaposition between brutal naturalism and magical realism that has helped inform the creation of our stage version and I think audiences love the mixture of gritty true life and fantasy – simple stories, complex lives, with a touch of musical magic thrown in along the way. We have always endeavoured to treat the characters and situations with the respect and dignity they deserve and we consider it an honour to be sharing their stories with audiences today.
■ An Officer and a Gentleman is at The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, from February 23 to March 2.