A fully-rounded, wonderfully engaging musical

Enter the stifling heat of the Charing Cross Theatre for this delightful gem of a musical from brothers David and Joseph Zellnik. First premiering Off-Broadway in 2010, it was presented at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre to high acclaim, leading to this well-earned London premiere.

Revolving around the discovery of a diary in a San Francisco junk shop, we're taken back into the memories of Stu, a young 'nearly 19-year-old' as he enlists in the army during World War II. Ready to do his duty but terrified of not fitting in, he soon falls for fellow Private Mitch 'Hollywood', who returns his feelings. The crux? Mitch is a confused closet case and Stu has no real idea what he is. When Stu joins the titular Yank! magazine as a reporter, Mitch heads to the front lines. Their dreams of happily ever after may be dashed, like so many others by the realities of the war.

A peaen to hope and courage against the sheer horror around them, Yank! subverts the troupe of boy meets boy, this isn't a cliched will they won't they, it's a love story through and through, better written and more expertly observed than most the stage has recently seen. Drama fuses with comedy, as it does in times of great difficulty. With shades of Sondheim as translated by Noel Coward, the Zellniks' score and book work beautifully, the whole cemented by Chris Cuming's eye-catching and addictive choreography and James Barker's direction that mix military motifs with 1940's sensuality splendidly.

Standouts include our central couple, Scott Hunter and Andy Coxon as Stu and Mitch, whose natural chemistry deepens the show and led me to tears at the shattering finale, but my favourite was Chris Kiely as Artie, the defiantly out Yank! photographer, who, as Stu's loose-limbed sexuality guide, gets some of the best lines and songs of the show.

All in all Yank! is a fully-rounded, wonderfully engaging musical that casts a sympathetic eye on the struggle faced by many thousands of gay men at the time, with the final line 'What have I sacrificed to love?' reminding you that the battle is far from over. Don't miss!

Yank! is at the Charing Cross Theatre until August 19th

Reviewed by @ThisIsKittyMac

View our show pages for more information about Yank!, Charing Cross Theatre.