Review Roundup: PRIVATES ON PARADE at the Noel Coward Theatre

Sam Marlowe of The artsdesk.com has this to say: That show-stealing role is inhabited to the hilt by Simon Russell Beale as the flamboyantly camp star of SADUSEA (Song and Dance Unit of South East Asia), a fictional military concert party dispatched to colonial post-war Malaya.

Peter Brown of the London Theatre Guide says: Simon Russell Beale looks like he is enjoying every moment as the camp and effeminate artiste, Terri Dennis. There is obviously plenty of humour to be milked from this kind of role, but Mr Beale does not lapse into excess.

Michael Coveney of whatsonstage.com writes: Those leads are now deliciously taken by Simon Russell Beale and Angus Wright as, respectively, Acting Captain Terri Dennis and Major Flack, the first a blissfully camp cabaret turn of the sort Nichols knew at first hand in his own South East Asia unit alongside Kenneth Williams and Stanley Baxter, the second an absurd authority figure with an over-developed sense of patriotism as, in this period, Communism replaces Hitler as Public Enemy Number One.

Johnny Fox of the Londonist says: On the surface, it's an Eastwards-shifted 'It Ain't Half Hot, Mum' where a troupe of stereotype squaddies puts on cheery and cheesy song-and-dance shows around Singapore while the guerrilla war rages up-country. All very fine and large, particularly SRB's off-the-scale performance played eye-rollingly resolutely to the gallery, until their jingoistic commanding officer Major Flack (nice work by Angus Wright) in a mixture of home counties patriotism and Christian crusade decides to take them up the jungle to the heart of the action..."a theatre of war".

Mark Shenton of the Stage writes: But this is also, like all Grandage's work, a brilliant company effort, too, and there's beautifully textured performances from a cast that includes Joseph Timms as virginal new company arrival Private Steven Flowers, John Marquez as Corporal Leo Bonny and Angus Wright as Major Giles Flack.