Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is a jukebox musical based on the true events leading up to the Live Aid concert in 1985. With amazing music and an inspiring storyline, I enjoyed this show. Here’s my Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical theatre review.
Overview and Plot Synopsis of Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is a jukebox musical that reimagines the story of Live Aid. It’s a mix of real events and fictionalised perspectives. Throughout the musical, the iconic songs from the Live Aid concert bring the story to life, exploring the concert’s impact and its legacy across generations.
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical – Act One
The musical opens set in the present day. A group of people – Suzanne, Marsha, Jim, and Amara – are all reminiscing about Live Aid and its emotional impact. Bob Geldof then comes on stage, and starts to question their nostalgic reverence. He gives a more mixed opinion of the reality of Live Aid. A young student called Jemma is researching Live Aid for a school project, and she asks more to try to uncover the truth about Live Aid.
The show then shifts back in time to the early days of Band Aid – although throughout the show, there are moments when it jumps back to the present as well. IN the 1980s, we see Bob Geldof learn about the tragic famine in Ethiopia, and his determination to do something to try to help. The show follows Bob Geldof as they try to rally musicians to record “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. And we see a younger version of Suzanne, who works in a record shop with Tim, trying to sell as many records as possible to try to help raise money from the charity record to help the Ethiopian famine. In the present day, Jemma questions some of the lyrics of the famous Christmas song, and Bob Geldof defends it, saying they recorded it in a rush.
Bob Geldof goes to see the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to ask for tax relief on the money from the record, but is refused. He then is persuaded to go to Ethiopia to try to discover how the money that’s being raised is being spent. In Ethiopia, he speaks to Amara, a Red Cross nurse. And he learns that there are still huge barriers to getting food and aid to the people in Ethiopia, due to the government dictatorship and cartel. Bob Geldof is determined to do more to mobilise effort and raise even more money. So he decides to put on a concert.
Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical – Act Two
Act Two focuses on the organisation and performance of the Live Aid concert. Bob Geldof is determined to put on a huge concert in just five weeks – but it’s an organisational nightmare to make something of that scale happen in such a short amount of time. There are tensions between Bob Geldof and his team, and uncertainty about which famous acts are going to appear. But ultimately, the concert ends up happening.
The musical shows some of the most iconic moments from the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium. Suzanne and Tim are at the concert, and finally declare their love for each other. We see the amazing performances, and really get a feel for the magic that this concert created. And also how inspiring it was, and how it managed to raise so much money and awareness.
In the final scene, the characters reflect on what was truly achieved. They talk about how the money and awareness raised from the concert really did make a difference. But they also talk about how, in many ways, nothing actually changed, and how today’s generation are facing so many similar problems in the world – 40 years on from Live Aid. Jemma and her peers are left with a renewed sense of purpose and inspiration, suggesting that while Live Aid may have been ‘just for one day’, its spirit can inspire lasting change.
What I liked about Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical
I really loved Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical. At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. But as the show progressed, I really got into it. And by the end, I was absolutely loving it.
The songs, vocals and performances
One of the best things about this show is the songs, and the vocal performances. It was just amazing. In the opening of the show, all 20 performers come onto stage and join together. And instantly, you know that this is going to be a great show.
All of the performers on stage were amazing. I didn’t know all of the songs too well before going – there were some I knew really well, but others were more new to me. But I loved every single song. And the singers were amazing. There were about 20 performers on stage. And I think most of them had solos in some of the songs. And they were all great. They really chose the soloist whose voice most matched that song type. There were fun, lively songs that made you want to dance along. And there were more emotional songs as well.
Some of the highlights included the Christmas song ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’, but also ‘Summer of 69’, ‘We Are The World’, and ‘Message in a Bottle’. Even the original rap between Margaret Thatcher (Mrs T) and Bob Geldof (Mr G) was funny and worked well. And the songs performed as part of the Live Aid concert were amazing. They did an amazing version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. And Bob Geldof’s performance of ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ was amazing. And the final song was ‘Let It Be’. It was such an emotional, moving and powerful way to end the show.
The Live Aid Concert in Act Two
My favourite part of the show was the Live Aid concert in Act Two. The amazing vocal performances, and of course the great music, just made it feel like you were really there at the Live Aid concert. The emotion had built up throughout the show as we learnt more about the tragic famine in Ethiopia, and how much work and effort had gone into creating this concert from so many people. So to see it all performed was just so emotional. The final songs in the Live Aid concert were just incredible, and one of those theatre moments that will really stay with me.
The emotion of the famine in Ethiopia
The scenes featuring the Red Cross Nurse, Amara, were so emotional. The song ‘Blowin in the Wind’ was an especially emotional, as Amara talked about what she was seeing in Ethiopia.
The stage had a backdrop that often had videos playing – either of the performers, or the Live Aid audience. But they didn’t show any of the videos of Ethiopia. But they didn’t need to. It was enough just to hear Amara talk about the famine. It was so sad and emotional – some of the audience were in tears.
And the inspiration
I also found the musical so inspiring as well. Despite the show frequently talking about the moral and political issues with Live Aid (maybe sometimes too much – I’ll talk more about that later), the musical really did portray Live Aid in a positive light. And there was so much positivity to take away.
In essence, this was a story about someone who tried to make a difference, and help a tragic situation in the world. It’s a story about millions of people all over the world coming together to try to do something good. In today’s world, there are still so many problems, and so much suffering. But this musical reminds us that, if we do all join together, then we can make a difference.
At the end of the show, Bob Geldof talks to the young student about the young generation. And the younger cast members sing ‘Our Generation’. This song is performed by the younger cast members, who are all really diverse. It just shows how, just maybe, the world is in some ways moving in a positive direction with accepting diversity in the new generation. This message of unity, and coming together to do great things, just feels such an important message in a world that today feels increasing isolated and divided, with people always arguing on social media, war all over the world, racism in the news, and so many other issues. But this musical is a reminder that people are capable of great things as well.
I left the theatre feeling so moved, and so motivated to go out into the world and try to find some of that unity, and try to do something that will make a difference.
What I wasn’t so sure about
Overall, I loved Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical. But when the show started, it took me a little bit of time to figure out what I thought of it.
Too much focus on the political and moral issues?
The first half of the musical focuses quite a lot on the political and moral issues with the Band Aid Christmas single, and with Live Aid. At first, I felt like they were maybe focussing on this a bit too much. I understand that the musical needs to address this. And it’s definitely a good thing that they address it – it would be wrong to just show everything in a positive light and not address the potentially questionable moral aspects of the show. But in the first half, it felt like they were focussed on this just a bit too much. Act Two had much less focus on this aspect, so overall it all balanced out ok by the end of the show.
Cutting the songs short
Act One also had a lot of songs that they’d perform a short amount of, but not perform the whole song. It was a bit of a shame for the audience sometimes. You’d be getting into the song, and then they’d cut it early and move onto some dialogue. This improved a lot in Act Two, and in the concert they performed whole songs which was great.
Clumsy scripting
Some of the script and dialogue also felt a bit clumsy at times. There are many times in the show that it jumps between different timelines. There are scenes with Jemma in the present, and scenes set in 1985. Surprisingly, it’s not actually confusing, which is surprising because it’s not very well signposted that we’re about to jump back or forward in time. Bob Geldof is exactly the same in 1985 and the present – no hint of a costume change, or even any change of personality at all. And sometimes it’s quite random when we’re about to jump back or forward. It must have been done reasonably well on stage, as it wasn’t confusing at all. But it still felt a bit clumsy how they did this.
Some of the plot is also a bit clumsy and under developed. There’s a nice sub-plot of a love story between Suzanne and Tim, who both work in the record shop in 1985. But it’s a very simple storyline. There’s also a random moment when two of the crew working on the Live Aid concert suddenly run off stage to have sex – which is quite random. In some ways, the script isn’t that strong or that well developed. It works enough. But it’s the amazing music, and the powerful emotion of the story, that really carries this show rather than the scripted dialogue.
Would I recommend Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical
Overall, my Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical theatre review is super positive. I really did love this show. In Act One, there were a few things I wasn’t sure about. But by the end, I was loving it and I didn’t want it to end. The music and performances were amazing. But what really stays with me from this musical is the emotion, and the inspiration. This musical gives such an important and powerful message: that if we come together, all across the world, we really can do great things. And we can keep on fighting for positive change to happen. This show doesn’t shy away from talking about the ethical issues with Live Aid, but you still leave the theatre feeling really positive about it. And you leave the theatre feeling really inspired to go out and try to make a difference in the world.
Hope you enjoyed my Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical theatre review! Check out my other theatre reviews for more shows in the West End, across the UK and the world.
