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Dream still topping the pops
Dreamboats and Petticoats Birmingham Hippodrome ****
Birmingham was on its feet and dancing last night - both indoors and
out. Whilst Take That were rocking Villa Park, the cast of ‘Dreamboats
and Petticoats’ were serving up a feast of fifties
favourites
over at The Hippodrome. There can’t be too many musicals based on a compilation CD. So inspired were they, however, by the recording that writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran saw huge potential in a show based on the songs featured on the album. After convincing Producers
Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield that here lay a potential crowd
pleaser, the show opened at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley in 2009
before transferring to the West End later that year. The story revolves around the
experiences of a group of young people who meet every week in their
local youth club, sometime around 1960. All the usual characters are
here - the dreamer, the swaggering ladies' man, the tart with a heart (
‘free’ at the weekend but 1/6 pence the rest of the week! ) , the
dependable best mate, the bespectacled ‘nice girl’ from next door , the
firm but fair dad and the banter loving mates. The writers are clearly
making more than a nod to their own past and, I suspect, to the past of
many of those sitting in the audience. The show does, very much, what
it says on the tin. Essentially, it’s a roller coaster of instantly
recognizable songs linked by short scenes. Characters do develop and
there are some nice moments of interplay between them but this show is
firmly about the songs and the nostalgia they create. It doesn’t, nor
shouldn’t, apologize for that. Director, Bob Tomson draws
infectious energy from his young cast. The onstage band are very much
part of the action and serve either to back up the singers or to join in
with action themselves ( Even the drummer ‘gets to speak!’ ).
It works precisely because the performers are young and bursting with
energy - affectionately reminding the audience of how they themselves
used to be. Watching 60s bands who still tour today may appeal to
die-hard fans but nothing can beat the zest and vibrancy of a young cast
belting out numbers as they were intended to be performed. In a strong ensemble cast,
Samantha Dorrance is beautifully understated as the sweet natured
Laura. Katie Birthill and Anna Campkin strike up a genuine
chemistry as ‘bezzie mates’ Sue and Donna and Ben James - Ellis
struts his stuff with attitude as Norman. Credit, too, for the hard
working onstage band who fought against a few sound gremlins in the
early stages but came out on top. ‘Shakin’ All Over’ was a treat - both
on the ears and on the eyes! By the end, a packed
auditorium was on its feet, dancing. They had come for a good time and,
clearly, they got it. ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats’
runs at The Hippodrome until 02-06-11. Tom Roberts
And from further down Memory Lane . . . **** PRETTY blonde girl from the Black Country
blossoms to star in this cracking musical featuring a string of great
rock 'n' roll hits from the 60s. Wolverhampton teenager Samantha Dorrance plays
Laura, the swot in specs and pigtails who has a talent for piano playing
and song writing but seems destined to miss out on the boy she admires. Samantha sings superbly in such memorable numbers
as To Know Him is to Love Him, It's Only Make Believe and
Teenager in Love, and on Laura's 16th birthday turns into a beauty
and wins the affection of aspiring young musician Bobby (David Ribi). Ribi proves the perfect partner and delights the
audience with his fine voice, especially in Dream Lover, Only the
Lonely, and, of course, Dreamboats and Petticoats. But this is not a musical about just two people.
Director Bob Tomson has gathered a terrific young cast of singers and
musicians who really get the theatre rocking. Ben James-Ellis (Norman), Katie Birtill (Sue),
Anna Campkin (Donna), Josh Little (Ray) and Graeme Henderson (Phil) all
sparkle in a dream of a show that rocks your socks off. To 02-07-11 Paul Marston
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