Chris Eldon Lee reviews “Dreamboats and Petticoats” which is at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 21st September 2013.
It was a woefully wet night in Wolverhampton. At the Molineux, the Wolves were being stuffed by Walsall, and at the Grand Theatre I was detailed to review yet another of those obviously obvious 1960s pop music plays that’s more concert than drama.
But two hours later this crinkly old critic was rollicking in the aisles with the rest of them.
I think it was the boundless vitality that got to me. A squadron of keen college leavers (with one very notable exception) belting out the hits of half a century ago with endless energy and remarkable authenticity. The guitar licks sounded just like the vinyl 45s in my cupboard under the stairs and the gestures and jives of the girls on the dance floor reminded me all the way.
There is a story line (admittedly a familiar one) of nice boy meets nice girl; nice boy falls for naughty girl; naughty boy turns up to lure naughty girl away with his woodbines and leather jacket; nice girls swoons and takes off her National Health specs and … well, you can guess the rest.
As you might expect in a show that revolves around hit parade titles, there are characters called Laura (who needs to be told her fella loves her), Sue (who tends to run around a bit), a sweet little girl who’s about to have her 16th birthday and a fresh faced chap called Bobby whose oblivious to the chick who wants to be his girl.
And then there’s Mark Wynter – the 60’s pop icon who turned 70 this year, singing his Top 20 hits for the first time in 40 years and doing a spot of pretty good casual acting along the way. He was relaxed, highly professional and seemingly indestructible.
Mark plays Bobby who finds his old Fender guitar in his attic and flashes back to St Mungo’s Church of England Youth Club in 1963. Here he plays his own father whilst a signed poster of the young Mark Wynter beams down from the wall. Nice touch!
Young Bobby is auditioning as lead singer for a band who’ve just innocently turned down a geezer called Mick Jagger (now, that would have been a show!). But Bobby’s schoolboy looks pale in the presence of cool, hip, leather-clad Norman – and so is born the group you’ve never heard of : ‘Norman and The Conquests’.
There are some good passage-of time jokes to warm the old heart (remember “he’s as pimply as his ping pong bat”) and convincing portrayals of teenage inadequacy to remind you how hopeless affairs of the heart always seemed back then.
It’s all to a strict formula with no surprises and veteran writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran appear to be coasting; but the performers do do it terribly well and you can’t argue with a theatre full of people having a jolly good time. Just remember to take your Vimto.
Visit www.grandtheatre.info for bookings & information about Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre