Rocking slice of nostalgia that'll leave you shaking all over!
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IF you loved the rock ‘n’ roll of the late fifties and early sixties and preferred Grease to Star Wars, the shamelessly nostalgic musical Dreamboats & Petticoats, at Eden Court until Saturday, will hit the spot.
Have your doubts? Ask pretty much anyone at the Thursday matinee performance this week , the vast majority coaxed to their feet to twist, hop and generally gyrate ahead of a standing ovation.
Commercially driven though the venture may be – it was inspired by the runaway success of no fewer than five compilation albums of music from thavibrant era – it has been put together with care and attention to detail.
It’s 1961 and emotions run high as young musicians Norman and Bobby compete to win a national song writing competition – and catch the eye of the gorgeous Sue. Cocksure Norman and anxious Bobby have little in common – apart from raging hormones and a love of rock and roll.
While flirty Sue has a habit of grabbing all the (male) attention, it’s shy Laura, the sister of Bobby’s best friend, who gradually emerges as the key love interest as matters come to a head.
Okay, so the story has essentially been constructed to carry a cracking soundtrack of songs played and performed live by those acting it out. But it all hangs together with a peppering of contemporary gags about bankers, Coronation Street and the dangers of life on the never-never. Look out too for an amusing and very effective slow-mo boxing bout and a clever musical ‘mash up’ featuring a simultaneous medley of three different songs. Nice touch.
The soundtrack includes classic tracks from the likes of Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran and, Billy Fury and features dozens of toe-tappers familiar to successive generations: Let's Dance, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Shaking All Over, Bobby's Girl, Little Town Flirt, Only Sixteen, Runaround Sue and Great Pretender amongst them. The names may not be household but the talent is undeniable – right down to some tricky but nicely executed a cappella numbers.
Every single member of the cast appears capable of singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument – all three in some cases. The punchy vibrancy of the live performances transmits to the audience like a shot of adrenaline to the heart, aided and abetted by material most of us have absorbed with our mothers’ milk. Chances are you will indeed be left shaking all over.
* Dreamcoats & Petticoats continues at Eden Court until Saturday, July 7. See www.eden-court.co.uk for details.
