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Dreamboats and Petticoats Wolverhampton Grand ***** I am pretty
sure that time travel is not yet possible but it seems no one's told the
cast of Dreamboats and Petticoats, who from the moment the curtain went
up had set the dials for 1960 and successfully took the audience with
them . It would be easy to
dismiss this flawless production as just another musical revue but when
the audience of baby boomers, including a few who were a good bit older,
are singing along quietly Why must I be
a teenager in love on a cold Monday
night in Wolverhampton, then there is clearly a real and emotional
connection that cannot be denied. What's more remarkable is that this cast, many
who were growing up in the 80s, can so faithfully recreate the sprit,
energy and innocent teen angst of that time. It's all a far cry from the internet IPod teens
of today and in that notion lays its success. Unless you are into
retro and nostalgia, there's little for the under 30s here so move
along, this audience own the era and its music and they didn't hold back
vocally in letting everyone else know it. So what's it all about, well it's like Happy
Days and The Fonz meets Please Sir with an
awkward, acned coming of age teen romance, linked and cleverly narrated
by the music and lyrics of classic songs from the late fifties and early
sixties. There's no doubt it all works beautifully and it
would be hard to single out individual performers as this is a true
ensemble piece with the voice over of Tony Blackburn, pre curtain,
reminding us pop pickers that all the music is played and sung live on
stage, `not half ‘. If there was one tiny criticism it would be that
the singing occasionally is too good, sacrificing the trendy vocal slur
of late 50s rock and roll for a more formal `musical theatre' style of
enunciation. However for such a high percentage of live
musical work praise must go to the sound team of Marcus Wadland and Dan
Evans whose mix of 45 classic songs was as faithful, if not better, than
the recorded originals.
Any one of the cast seemed to have the vocal and
acting skills to have played the lead roles but Katie Birthill who
played the tarty Sue was someone who stood out and would certainly seem
to have the range, quality and power to deliver a more challenging lead
role. The last 15 minutes are an energetic blast of
colour, music and dance that gets the audience up, moving and singing
along. Recognising that many of them on their feet were clearly in their
70s was a testament to just how must fun and enjoyment this production
generates. The formulae is a successful one and producers
Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield know it having developed
a new musical, Save The Last Dance For Me set in the same
era, which is headed for the UK stage in the spring of 2012. It's set to be another fun packed musical trip
back in time and it's pretty certain that this audience will be back to
the Grand in the future to make the journey. To 03-12-11 Jeff Grant
BACK by popular demand, according to the
theatre management, and this high energy show is still bursting with
energy and pulling in the customers. There was a distinct buzz in the auditorium
before curtain up and for the blistering finale many people in the
audience were on their feet, dancing and applauding. How could it fail, with such exciting music from
the golden era of the fifties and sixties - Let's Dance, Only
Sixteen, Great Pretender, Teenager in Love, Let's Twist Again, Bobby's
Girl, and lots more. The story, around which the music is played, is
fairly simple; girls, guys and guitars. Youngsters in relationships with
a song writing competition to accelerate the rivalry, and our heroes
triumphing in the end. Leading from the front is David Ribi as
Bobby. He has the looks of a shy choirboy, but when he sings he becomes
pop star material, and he has the ideal partner in Samantha Dorrance,
playing the sweet young thing Laura who has a great voice and an
appearance to match after abandoning her specs and pigtails. Fine performances, too, from Ben James-Ellis
(Norman) and Katie Birtill (Sue), and the on-stage musicians are
terrific. One piece of dialogue earned ironic cheers from the audience
when Bobby's dad explained why he couldn't spend more on a guitar
amplifyer: "No good living beyond your means. If everyone did that the
country would go bankrupt." The show runs to Saturday night (Dec 3) Paul Marston  |
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