Nine – Dir Rob Marshall, starring Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard

WHILE IT boasts some great names and toe-tapping songs, this Broadway adaptation doesn't quite jump off the stage as well as the previous efforts of director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Cabaret).

Fifty year old film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) is having a bit of a mid-life crisis. While he struggles to complete his latest film, Contini is forced to balance the many women in his life, including his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his confidante and costume designer (Judi Dench) and his mother (Sophia Loren).

Even if it doesn't quite measure up to Chicago, Nine is an altogether likeable piece of work – with some brilliant (and surprising) vocal performances from Daniel Day-Lewis and the rest of the cast – that will play well with male and female audiences alike.