Novelty quickly overstays its welcome in ‘X Factor’ musical

ERIVO (RIGHT). Expressive face and pristine pipes.

“The X Factor’s” ability to turn talented unknowns into full-fledged stars is undeniable—so, “I Can’t Sing: The X Factor Musical” (at the London Palladium), the West End musical comedy it inspired, was on top of our list during our theater-going trip to the United Kingdom last summer.

After all, pop music wouldn’t be as exciting without the TV talent search’s prodigious alumni, including One Direction, Cher Lloyd and Alexandra Burke, who is currently wowing theatergoers in the fabulous stage incarnation of Whitney Houston’s “The Bodyguard.”

Imagined by director Sean Foley as a spoof-and-gag show, the musical follows the tale of talented Chenice, who lives with a loquacious mutt—who talks directly to the bemused crowd—in a caravan. After her dad dies, she finds fame and romance when she grudgingly tries her luck on the talent show, whose judges include Simon Cowell (portrayed by Nigel Harman of “Shrek, The Musical”), Jordy (loosely based on Cheryl Cole, who was sacked from ‘X Factor USA’ in 2011) and Louis Walsh.

Inventively staged by Foley and choreographer Kate Prince, the eye-candy show offers a glimpse into what goes on behind “X Factor’s” annual search for that “undefinable something” that makes for star quality. But, like the TV show itself, the stage production is burdened with a string of  oddballs and quirky characters whose novelty quickly overstays its welcome.

The initial reviews were good, but we found the show’s jokes too silly—and shallow—to be memorable. Just the same, there was much to enjoy in the fun production numbers built around Steve Brown and Harry Hill’s radio-friendly tunes.

The musical also pokes fun at the much-speculated sexuality of Cowell who, in one production number, reveals that he was bullied as a school boy.

But, the show’s biggest draw was lead star Cynthia Erivo, whose expressive face and pristine pipes were worth the price of admission—we couldn’t keep our eyes off her! —Had we seen her before?

The winking answer to that question came in the form of a private message from our friend, top acting coach Dee Cannon, who reminded us that we actually saw the glorious Ms Erivo in action long before she found fame on the London stage via the musical version of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 screen drama,  “The Color Purple.”

In 2008, shortly after directing “Into The Woods” for New Voice, we were invited by Monique Wilson to observe the rehearsals of the acting class she was handling for Dee at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the time.

We were thrilled to be given the rare opportunity of seeing how different plays were mounted at the prestigious drama school—from rehearsals to performances—and how actors relied, not merely on inherent talent, but also on diverse acting exercises to “find” their characters.

One of those plays was Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker,” whose character, Minnie Fay, was portrayed by Cynthia—who’s now a star in her own right!