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All or Nothing: The Mod Musical
Malvern Theatres
*****
ALL or Nothing
is a high energy production written and
produced by Carol Harrison, and directed by Tony McHale.
Although promoted as a
‘Mod Musical’, and obviously appealing to music lovers of that genre,
the music in the production and indeed of
The Small Faces
strays far beyond mod boundaries, so I do wonder whether the tagline
unwittingly limits its reach in terms of audience.
That said,
All or Nothing
played to a full house in Malvern, and rightly
so.
Despite being based on
the life and music of The Small Faces,
All or Nothing
focuses more on the band’s troubled frontman Steve Marriott. Indeed, the
entire proceedings are watched over and narrated by an older version of
Marriott, played brilliantly by TV regular Chris Simmons.
Simmons’ character adds depth and pathos as he
wanders through scenes, sometimes interjecting, sometimes merely
spectating, but always with a drink in his hand. Simmons’ stage presence
was striking and at times I found myself watching only him as he sat
motionless despite the action playing out around him on stage.
Writer Harrison plays the character of Marriott’s
mum, and in both roles he repeatedly returns to the question of whether,
if things had taken a different turn, Marriott could ever have found his
happy ending. I’m afraid that the answer was always going to be no. To
create such a feel-good production whilst embracing the unavoidable
spectre of self-destruction is no mean feat, and the cast must take
their share of credit for this.
Following on from
highlights of Marriott’s teenage years (reportedly setting fire to his
school, then starting off down a seemingly promising career path in
acting) we see how The Small Faces
formed in 1965 in East London. The younger version of Steve Marriott is
played by Tim Edwards, who along with his fellow band members plays and
sings live, which for me elevates such a production far beyond a musical
with pre-recorded backing tracks.
Ronnie Lane (bass and
vocals) is played by Joshua Dowen, with
Drew-Levi Huntsman
as Kenney Jones on drums. Vocalist and
keyboard player Jimmy Winston (portrayed by Joseph Peters ) seemed to
continually clash with Marriott, perhaps seeking too much of the
limelight, and was soon unceremoniously replaced by Ian McLagan (Matthew
Churcher).
Peters was highly
watchable as the cool and stylish keyboard player and I was disappointed
to see his character thrown out of the band. I was very happy then that
Peters returned to play other characters including unscrupulous
manager/producer Andrew Oldham, founder of the
Immediate
record label.
Oldham’s quirks pale
into insignificance however when compared to the band’s first manager,
Don Arden at Decca, played with menace and humour by Russell Floyd (Eastenders,
The Bill). Because of these two and
their crooked deals, despite the hits and fame and girls,
The Small Faces were never paid a
decent wage, and were at points faced with huge tax bills and apparent
debts to cover recording and production time. The easy access to drugs
and alcohol took their toll, and Marriott in particular seems to have
been torn between material success, artistic freedom and the desire to
be taken seriously as a musician.
Alongside the story,
the evening is of course lifted by much loved hits such as
Afterglow, All or Nothing, Rene, Here Comes
the Nice, Whatcha Gonna Do About It and
my favourites Lazy Sunday
and Itchycoo
Park. There are a few romances, but it
seemed a shame that there were not more strong female characters in the
production.
Marriott’s love life
sounds spectacularly messy in real life so his three wives and four
children are glossed over in this version of the story, and we are left
to guess why things don’t work out with PP Arnold (Dami Olukoya) and
whether things stay rosy with Rod Stewart’s old flame Jenny (Sophia Behn).
Special mention goes to Daniel Beales for his marvellous presence as
Tony Blackburn, Stanley Unwin and Sonny Bono amongst other characters.
Overall this is a wonderful production, full of
vibrancy and all the excitement of the sixties but tinged with the
darkness of exploitation and excess. It took The Small Faces decades to
receive the royalties they were owed and for some of them it was too
late. Despite their chart success, Marriott never seemed to find
contentment, but his contribution to the world of music is recognised by
musicians and stars of every ilk.
Marriott’s daughter has
praised this production, stating that her dad would be proud of the
show. The writer’s love of Marriott and his music is obvious, and the
show is a fitting and respectful tribute to his memory.
Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake
is on my turntable as I write. I suggest you
dust off your copy now.
Amy Rainbow
12-10-16
All or Nothing: The Mod
Musical moves on from Malvern to
Reading, Wycombe and Cardiff.
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