In the most recent version of the enduring West End chiller, pop sensation Cheryl delivers a flawless acting performance that shines amongst her accomplished cast!
Once the production moves to the Apollo Theatre on May 14, a new cast will be taking over the roles. However until April 23rd Cheryl will be continuing to shine in her acting debut – vastly different to her time in pop hit girl-band Girls Aloud.
What’s become a genuine West End phenomenon by Danny Robins ‘2:22’ began in 2021 as a novelty 4 person show and now it’s in it’s sixth cast iteration! Robins who is the creator of the popular podcast series “The Battersea Poltergeist,” had his show used to fill the gap in the Noël Coward Theatre’s schedule while the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” waited to resume due to the Pandemic. Of all people to take over the main female role, Lily Allen was chosen and to much admiration helped launch this show into the success it is today.
Since then, it has performed in another four West End seasons and continues to draw in new visitors and retaining people who want to see the new cast every season. It’s pretty obvious that the production’s fanbase has grown thanks to increasingly outrageous casting and it’s a strategy that is working! Lily Allen followed by Laura “Love Island” Whitmore, Tom Felton from Harry Potter have all made their theatrical debuts with this show and now it’s Cheryl’s turn…and boy does she ACT! For someone with limited to very little training she sure packs a punch in her performance and stands strong against her fellow actors who have been treading the theatrical boards for many more years than her.
The story focuses on Jenny, a frazzled new mother who believes her fixer-upper is tormented by a spirit that prowls around her daughter’s room at 2:22 every morning. It’s not too serious…you could essentially play as yourself because she’s an everyday woman. Allen’s Jenny was posh, slightly colder, and more aggressive, Laura Whitmore was serious and warmer and now Cheryl’s Jenny has an exact Cheryl voice and accent but with a soft disposition that occasionally explodes into shouty wrath for the exciting parts of the show.
Substantial acting skills are definitely required for this type of performance and Cheryl is definitely capable although we found she struggles to project at times. However she nails her lines, has fantastic comic timing and successfully portray the character of Jenny convincingly and teleports us into the reality of the story.
Your overall enjoyment of your night out seeing the show will definitely be determined on how much you LOVE the core story of ‘2:22’ which surrounds a dinner party between the four guests however we thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend watching it! It had highs and low, funny parts and scary scenes and really did keep us on the edge of our seats anticipating where the story would go!
The ending definitely delivers a great twist to this story and was something we never expected…and yet still keeps us wanting to go and see it again. What’s so great about a revolving cast is that each actor will provide something new to their character and will bring new energy and spirit to the core story.
She might not be winning an Olivier award any time soon however Cheryl really performed beyond our expectation on stage and we look forward to seeing her in any future acting roles either on stage or screen. Of course we can’t reveal any intricate details of the story (and we wouldn’t WANT to) but what we can say is that it’s a brilliant show to see, especially for supernatural thriller fans and it’s not going anwhere! Check out the show, book your tickets and make sure you watch the clock for 2:22!…
