Review: Summer Holiday (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Belonging to an era when the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles were successfully translating record sales into box office success, Summer Holiday continued to cement a young Cliff Richard as an entertainment force to be reckoned with. Producing back-to-back chart toppers for the future Sir Cliff, the film stands as a technicolour crowd pleaser whose charming stage adaptation now welcomes the sun-soaked crowds at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

Sticking closely, but not cloyingly so, to the ’63 film, Summer Holiday follows bus mechanic Don and his trio of friends, Steve, Edwin and Cyril, as they drive a modified Yorkshire Transit bus (a London bus in the film) across mainland Europe in an effort to prove their concept for holiday tours across the continent. Along the way, they’re joined by pop trio Al, Mimsie and Angie, stranded en route to a gig in Athens, and a runaway teenager who is actually American pop star Barbara Winter in disguise to escape her overbearing mother.

Adapted for the stage by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan, the show maintains the low-stakes breeziness that makes Ronald Cass and Peter Myers’ screenplay so charming. When I say low-stakes, I mean practically nil – aside from hard-working but experience-lacking pop star Barbara Winter, this chirpy ensemble all seem as if they’d be perfectly content to end their adventure back at status quo. Hardly a detractor, this lightness allows for a great deal of silliness to occur without the audience wondering whether the ragtag troupe have time for these various detours. It's all in good fun, so disbelief becomes all the easier to suspend, and perhaps even abandon entirely.

There’s a sense of timelessness to Haddigan and Gyngell’s work, with Summer Holiday neither modern enough to be taking place now nor firmly old-fashioned enough to still be the early ‘60s. The film’s misadventure through Yugoslavia has been excised, presumably in keeping with country’s dissolution in the decades since, and a spot of gender-blind casting creates a homosexual relationship taking shape with no backlash or real acknowledgement. This more progressive touch sits alongside an absence of modern technology and the presence of a period-appropriate camera filming a television segment, creating a breezy world stranded beyond time periods. The production’s co-directors, Elizabeth Newman and Ben Occhipinti, let a sense of whimsy and fun override any questions of when or even why, basking in the sunny fun that is Summer Holiday.

In the role of Don, the part originated by Richard himself, George Jones carries himself with that same good-guy charm that carried Richard’s own performance. Essentially, for a Cliff character, he is also able to nimbly manoeuvre his vocal stylings between youthful rock-and-roller and dreamboat crooner, bringing a stellar voice to each number. As his leading lady, once her identity is revealed, Fanta Barrie benefits from a slightly expanded character and brings some real weight to her first scene, and a gorgeous rendition to her introductory number. While her more-than-capable vocal styling can at times be at odds with the pop-heavy score, Barrie is charming enough and matches well enough with Jones that this is easy to look past.

The cast also provide live musical accompaniment, alongside the ever-present Isaac Savage (keys and accordion) and Ava Duncan (drums and guitar), a welcome touch that further evokes the musician-as-movie-star flair of the film. As well as being strong musicians, the cast also provide pitch-perfect vocal harmonies throughout, not only elevating the score but truly selling the quickly formed connections between the group. When the members of would-be stars Do Re Mi almost immediately pair off with Don’s mechanic buddies, the musical chemistry is strong enough to sell it. This chemistry extends beyond vocal harmonies, with the company playing guitars both electric and acoustic, bass, harmonicas and brass all live on stage.

While strong work comes courtesy of the whole cast, including a rousing act two opener from Jim Duah’s Edwin and strong comedic moments from Duah, Robin Harris and Elliot Mackenzie as the mechanics, special mention must go to Barbara’s stage mother and bumbling manager. Jane McCarry and Damian Humbley are a match made in comedy heaven, with McCarry particularly strong in both her domineering stage-mother role and a pair of sneering, hilariously expressive law enforcement characters. When the pair front a musical number of their own, complete when I attended with ad-libbed dialogue when costume issues arose mid-scene, the audience were in such fits of hysterics that I doubt anyone could recall a single lyric despite the whole sequence being a definite highlight.

Co-directors Newman and Occhipinti play into the inherent silliness of Summer Holiday, being a story where a double-decker bus makes its way across mainland Europe having been loaned out free of charge by higher-ups. This grand expedition is alternately represented by a conga-line of cast members, a remote-controlled model of the bus itself, and scenes set in its driver’s seat being clarified by a steering wheel. Rather than try to create a believable bus interior, Newman and Occhipinti allow the Crucible’s sizeable stage to become a playground for our and the company’s imagination. The overarching instruction to their cast seems to be, “have fun!” and quite frankly, that’s all a show like Summer Holiday needs.

The music – pulled from both the film and elsewhere in Sir Cliff’s and The Shadows’ catalogues – sounds splendid under the guidance of musical director Richard Reeday, while movement director Lesley Hutchinson has helped the co-directors pull together light, joyful routines. A nice touch here comes when the gang must pass themselves off as travelling entertainers, with pop star Barbara noticeably picking up Do Re Mi’s choreo much quicker than Don and co. All of this takes place on Amanda Stoodley’s whimsically designed stage, which alongside moving bus seats boasts a brightly coloured, thoroughly ‘60s-inspired backdrop with moving parts to display the national flags of the countries driven through.

Under-utilised but impactful when used is lighting design from Rory Beaton. Before the show begins, on a rainy morning in a Yorkshire café, the ceiling is adorned with lights indicating a quiet summer night. Following this, there is a magnificent moment when lights overhead bring lightning to life, but tragically the suns shining brightly and blue skies of Summer Holiday allow for little in the way of such weather effects. More fully used is Tom Marshall’s sound design, not only keeping the myriad of voices and instruments balanced, but also allowing dialogue spoken offstage to be heard and its direction properly understood.

Lacking in stakes but not taking itself seriously enough for that to matter, Summer Holiday is a blissful adventure with a charming ensemble cast whose soaring vocals and strong musicianship are on strong display. Anchored by a sense of fun and familiar music, the show continues the material’s legacy as endlessly crowd-pleasing and genuine fun for the entire family. When I attended, the crowd ranged from under-10s to over-70s, and the final singalong had all generations gleefully involved and on their feet dancing. This week, “where the sun shines brightly,” could have been anywhere, but Sheffield’s Crucible was certainly where the most summer fun could be had.

Summer Holiday plays at The Crucible Theatre until July 18^th, before opening at Blackpool Grand Theatre on July 29^th 

For tickets and information for the Sheffield run visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/summer-holiday-2026

For tickets and information for the Blackpool run visit https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/event/summer-holiday

Photos by Manuel Harlan