Susan Boyle - Susan Boyle Musical Wins Rave Reviews

The Scottish singer's life story and rise to fame is chronicled in the musical I Dreamed A Dream, which got the thumbs-up from audiences at preview performances last week (ends25Mar12) and officially opened at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, England on Tuesday.

Boyle is played on stage by British actress Elaine C. Smith but the singer makes at appearance during the finale to sing I Dreamed A Dream, the song which wowed the judges at her Britain's Got Talent audition in 2009.

The show has now impressed critics on opening night, with the Daily Mail's Patrick Marmion calling the musical "an affectionate look" at the unlikely star's life. He writes, "Elaine C. Smith... brings a thick Glaswegian edge to proceedings - and hearty gags to match... Then comes the bonus ball, and raison d'etre of the evening: a personal appearance by Boyle herself... You remember that she really does have something special: a rich, sonorous voice with an affecting emotional quiver... (The production) is more than just a get-rich-quick scheme or a piece of craven hagiography. It's also a jolly good knees-up."

David Paul of the Daily Record adds, "Susan Boyle brought the house down at the premiere of a musical about her extraordinary life..."

Gordon Barr of Newcastle's Evening Chronicle writes, "A tale of triumph over adversity so absurd it's unbelievable - except this tale is true!... There is no-one out there with a story to tell quite like Susan Boyle - and I Dreamed A Dream is a fitting testament to that fact. It's as gritty and as moving as Blood Brothers, with the added bonus it all really happened... Wild Horses should keep no-one from seeing this musical - it has it all!"

After the show completes a week-long run in Newcastle it heads out on a nationwide U.K. tour, which concludes in Glasgow, Scotland in October (12).