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The Glenn Miller Story
Malvern Theatres
****
THIS swinging musical is the life, fame
and untimely vanishing of America’s most famous big band leader.
It’s been more than seventy years since Glenn
Miller went missing in action over the English Channel as he flew to
Paris to entertain the troops during the Second World War and what a
story.
One of the most iconic musical figures of the
20th century is told on stage after the idea formed over a meal between
friends producer/director, Bill Kenwright and Britain's first teen idol,
rock and roll star, Tommy Steele.
The first act skips over Miller's early years as
his musical development took a new step every time his family moved
around the states. First his father buying him a mandolin, which he soon
traded for an old horn and finally how he started playing the trombone
as a member of a town band.
It opens in an aircraft hangar just before his
fateful flight and we are introduced to Tommy Steele whose adoration for
Glenn Miller clearly means a lot to this self-confessed song and dance
man, who plays a guy through his twenties to his early death at 40.
A spectacular and talented 16 piece orchestra and
a full supporting company of sensational performers takes us back to the
era of big band which was expertly played, sang and danced to by the
ensemble cast.
The story moves to his struggle to the top,
moving to Los Angeles then on to New York City where he studied music
theory and composition with Joseph Schillinger and finally marrying his
childhood sweetheart Helen Burger played by the wonderful Abigail Jaye.
And the secret of his success, Miller gave his
band a distinctive sound, this aspect made his orchestra's music
instantly recognisable, distinguishing it from that of other bands at
the time.
The second half begins at the peak of his
civilian career when he decided to join the war effort, forsaking a
sizable income, Miller went on to earn numerous medals via his message
of there’s no expression of freedom quite so sincere as music.
The story of his life
in the military is told with a band on stage and dancers. Musical
numbers throughout both acts featured the classics
In the Mood
and Pennsylvania 6-5000, It Don’t Mean
a Thing if You Ain’t Got That Swing and
Sing Sing Sing.
Next to a letter from home, he was described as
the greatest morale builder in European Operations as his 50-piece Army
Air Force Band visited England in the summer of 1944 playing to the
soldiers with more than 800 performances in just a few months.
A great finale
sing-a-long had the attention of the whole audience so we deservedly got
more, with a repeat of Sing Sing Sing.
The Glenn Miller story is fantastically
interesting, with Tommy Steele’s performance and interaction, giving
this musical real swing! To 24-09-16.
Johnathan Gray
20-09-16
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