Aided by its impressive set, engaging cast and catchy score, IDENTICAL is a delightful, heart-warming musical.

Kenny Wax’s brand new musical IDENTICAL is inspired by Erich Kästner’s 1949 novel THE PARENT TRAP. It tells the story of identical twins separated when they were babies due to their parent’s divorce. Fast forward to ten years later, and the twins meet by coincidence at summer camp.
As the curtain rises on this popular production, the audience is instantly taken aback by the incredible set. A state-of-the-art, floor-to-ceiling wrap-around screen brings this show to life and sets many of the different scenes, from a remote summer camp, a forest, and a ballet hall to a train station, a wedding, a school office and more. Set Designer Robert Jones should be incredibly proud of his achievements here.
In the lead roles of Lottie and Lisa, real identical twins Kyla and Nicole Fox steal the show. These girls are in almost every scene and perfectly deliver throughout. There are three sets of identical twins in this production, so Savannah and Sieanna Robinson or Eden and Emme Patrick may be performing depending on the night.
Most of the first act takes place in Munich and Vienna, portrayed via a split-stage setup and swift back-and-fourths. This is also where we meet the now-divorced parents of the twins; Emily Tierney as Lisalotte and James Darch as Johan – alongside appearances from housekeeper Roza (Louise Gold) and Johan’s love interest Miss Garlach (Gabrielle Lewis-Dobson). Despite the Mother and Papa not meeting until the final 30 minutes, you really feel their connection of long-lost lovers across the stage, resulting in a goosebump moment at their reunion.
Award-winning musical theatre writing partnership duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have done a superb job with the music in this show, with the regularly reprised WE ARE IDENTICAL keeping your foot tapping. Be warned – it gets stuck in your head for days!
A lot of work has clearly gone into this production, with a special mention for the cast, the scenery, and the music. However, at almost three hours long, including a 20-minute interval, it would benefit from some trimming throughout to improve the pace of the action.
Overall, IDENTICAL is a delightful, heart-warming production.
IDENTICAL runs at The Lowry, Salford, until 3 September 2022.

After working within The Lowry’s Communications team for many years, Nicky Jones is now on the other side of the stage – reviewing many shows across the North West each month! She’s particularly partial to musicals and music concerts, and enjoys life behind a lens.
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