RobertSSchumann

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FILM. Summary: Like the Song, this film is a "Work of Art" Director Jonathan Butterell has done a flawless job transferring the West End stage musical to the big screen. While the film stays very true to the stage version, enhancements in fleshing out characters, relationships, addition of songs (Hugo's "This Was Me") enhance the story. Casting is spot on, with very strong performances from newcomer Max Harwood (perfect age appropriate casting; shame on the upcoming film "Dear Evan Hansen"--the trailers make me cringe). Lauren Patel (Pritti Pasha), Sarah Lancashire (Margaret New), Shobna Gulati (Ray), Richard E. Grant (Hugo) and Sharon Hogan (Miss Hedge) deliver very strong performances. The West Ends stage show is incredible, but the film absolutely is brilliant. Why the West End stage show hasn't yet transferred to Broadway is a mystery to me. A US premiere of the stage musical is slated for Los Angeles in January 2022, and I hope that it makes its way to Broadway.