The Pajama Game is alright, but it could have been really good and that’s a shame.
I loved the mundanity of the setting, the fact that it was about simple people, about striking and about making pajamas. It instantly put me in mind of Made in Dagenham only this production took away the starkness of that story and tried to replace it with a raz ma taz which never really corresponded with the subject matter.
The performers are all very talented and they put their all into some vibrant choreography, but they suffer from an overlong park scene and some often very shoddy scripting filled with those cringy one liners which serve to alienate modern audiences from West End musicals. Michael Xavier is commanding as Sid Sorokin, Joanna Riding sassy and sweet as Babe and Claire Machin show stealing as Mabel. Though in a small choral part it is also perhaps worth noting that Lauren Varnham continually drew the eye with her commitment and conviction shining in a chorus of very talented performers.
To me the production felt a little safe, everything that could have been gritty was instead softened with glitz, even in the troublesome scene where Sid fires his then fling Babe, the tension that had been built is dissipated when the incident is never mentioned again. The play is ultimately entertaining but almost immediately forgettable, it is what it is with no aspirations at being anything more. Some people will love it for its simplicity and West End style, others will leave a little disappointed, however, it did make me think that Made In Dagenham in the right hands would make an amazing musical!