The theatre and rock ‘n’ roll are slightly incompatible bedfellows, which is odd considering the similarities in staging, performance, and audience expectation. Rock ‘n’ roll can be theatrical, but theatre is rarely successfully rock ‘n’ roll. This is the challenge facing The Rock ‘n’ Roll Alien, a journey through the musical legacy of David Bowie.

Created and produced by Simon Gwilliam, and aided by various other Gwilliam family members – Billy on videography and film editing, Sadie and Sheila on costume, and Ruby on social media – none of whom had previous theatrical experience, this show is an ambitious family affair. Spanning four decades of Bowie’s career, the show features 27 classic Bowie tracks, including gems such as Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, Starman, Young Americans, Ashes to Ashes, Heroes through to his last works, including Blackstar. Three vocalists, five musicians and eight dancers energetically fill the stage for two hours, with different choreography and outfits for almost every track, all in front of a vibrant video wall.

Let’s start with the positives. Most importantly, the music is excellent, as are Billy Gwilliam’s accompanying edgy retro visuals. The visuals are truly exceptional. The dancers are all very talented, although probably over-choreographed. Greg Oliver and Elliot Rose both deliver powerful vocal performances time and time again. They both sound like Bowie. The show is a bold, colourful assault on the senses. Then the negatives, Sian Crowe is also a strong singer but I feel is in the wrong show. She’s far more theatrical than rock ‘n’ roll, presents quite an ordinary look for someone singing Bowie songs, and smiling at the audience is a no-no for me. The show is also let down by the costumes. There are too many outfit changes and many of the looks are either too literal, weak, or poorly executed. This show would benefit from a directional, edgy fashion stylist. The Bowie afficionados with me thought there were too many crowd pleasers in the set and some glaring omissions. I was, however, more than happy with the set list though, and it reminded me of Bowie’s prolific genius. The show probably needs to be stripped back and grittier, less modern and less literal. For those music fans looking for a rock ‘n’ roll tribute in the vein of Bauhaus’s Ziggy Stardust cover, me included, there will be mild dissatisfaction, and a 3/5 score. For those theatre goers happy with an audience clap-along to Heroes – this actually happened – it will be a 5/5 show. This audience was largely in the latter category, so consider which camp you’d be in.