Review: ‘Good Business’ by MTW

MTW’s fresh new musical Good Business is a powerful and gripping saga of lust and violence in 1930s Chicago, focusing on the rivalry between two violent gangs and the love between Vincent Bartolomei (played by Joe Thompson-Oubari) and Nina Savino (played by Lucy Cooper). The musical was co-written by Rob Madge, who also directed the show, and Chris Poon, who composed all the songs; the two clearly put in huge amounts of effort and worked harmoniously on the production, as the drama, music and dance were woven seamlessly together throughout. The story of the musical itself was also engaging, shocking the audience with the brutality of the mobster’s world and the experiences of some of the characters, but it seemed slightly confused in some parts; admittedly, this could simply be due to my less-than-prime position at the far back of the audience, and did not affect my enjoyment of the piece.

played the complex Nina fantastically, capturing her internal conflict and rousing great sympathy for her character’s plight

All the cast performed at an exceptionally high level, but two actors in particular stood out – Lucy Cooper as the female lead of Nina Savino, and Jake Benson as Jimmy Johnson, the thuggish leader of the rival mob. Cooper had an amazing voice that captured the entire audience every time she sang, and also played the complex Nina fantastically, capturing her internal conflict and rousing great sympathy for her character’s plight. Benson played the role of violent gangster alarmingly well, and Johnson’s brutal treatment of Nina (his used and abused girlfriend) shows the audience the dangerous reality of the musical’s world whilst setting up a powerful contrast between good and evil.

The music was just as good, and ranged from up-beat swing numbers that had the audience tapping along to sad, heart-wrenching songs which all added to the powerful atmosphere. The show’s environment was enhanced by its being performed in a bar (St. Patrick’s Irish Club in Leamington Spa), which, despite being ironic given the play’s setting in the prohibition era, meant that the performance was very intimate and intense. This was also emphasised by the only props being those that were utterly necessary, with no real stage set, although the costumes were fantastic. In particular the ‘Goddesses’, who are performers at the local Kelly’s Pleasure Bar, had stunning, sparkling dresses, and their input in the musical numbers gave the songs a powerful depth that made the show seem as if it was in the West End rather than a small Leamington bar.

 shocking the audience with the brutality of the mobster’s world

Good Business is a compelling and engaging musical that delivers on all fronts, and, despite suffering from an overly complex plot at some points, it is well worth seeing for the songs and impressive performances.

Good Business has its final performance at St. Patrick’s Club in Leamington Spa on 16^th March; get your tickets at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/goodbusiness. Don’t miss it!