THE DRIFTERS GIRL | UK TOUR @ EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★
With possibly the hardest working cast on the touring circuit and a score of catchy classics, every one ‘a song to smile along too’, The Drifters Girl is a feel good slice of nostalgia that will transport you back to a time when R&B, American doo-wop and soul were king.
Originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter in 1953, The Drifters quickly became a hit-making phenomenon in their own right under manager George Treadwell and then, after his untimely death in 1967, through the devotion and business acumen of his widow, Faye.
As group members came and went in those early years including greats like Johnny Moore and Ben E King, The Drifters became a household name. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame they were even invited to sing for the President of America in the White House. All these milestones are ticked off in Ed Curtis’ whistle-stop book, which succinctly zips through the salient points in between the hits, which just keep on coming.
Like many groups of the time, The Drifters weren’t without their legal battles and The Drifters Girl opens as Faye prepares to go into battle for her trademark – as she explains to daughter Tina outside the courtroom, ‘The Drifters are like The Yankees, the people may change but group is still The Drifters…’, and so the story is told in flashback.
As a woman fighting the sexism and misogyny of the music business, Treadwell was forced to be as ruthless, if not more so, than the men around her in order to survive, and in the role, Carly Mercedes Dyer makes her a sharp, sassy and forthright force of nature, a woman driven to the point of almost loosing her empathy for this around her. It’s an honest performance that drives the production, especially as Dyer more than matches her ‘Drifters’, note for note.
Talking of The Drifters, the ‘At this performance…’ slip inserted into the programme revealed two changes to the regular cast for press night; stepping in as Ben E King was cover Ethan Davis, while fellow cover Matthew Dawkins found himself drafted in to play George Treadwell.
Alongside Tarik Frimpong, as Clyde McPhatter, and Daniel Haswell, as Johnny Moore, Davis and Dawkins seamlessly matched the energy of the regulars. Each Drifter is required to play numerous characters as well as their named role and Frimpong in particular excells, bringing an infectious energy and humour to the parts he inhabits. Like all the Drifters, he is seldom off stage. The inadequately named ‘Girl’, Jaydah Bell-Ricketts, is also kept busy as daughter Tina Treadwell and other random female parts as required.
With a seven-piece orchestra keeping the sound of the Fifties and Sixties true in the pit, Karen Bruce’s simple choreography too is nicely period. Jonathan Church’s snappy direction is matched by Anthony Ward’s dynamic, but functional, set design, which allows the action to flow freely while creating a minimalistic landscape against which the story unfolds.
Like all jukebox musicals, and this is the doyen of the genre, the songs that are the real stars and they are all present and correct; Hello Happiness, Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies, Saturday Night At The Movies, Stand by Me, Sweets For My Sweets, There Goes My First Love, Under The Boardwalk, You’re More Than A Number In My Little Red Book and many more.
It’s nice to think the late Faye Treadwell would take great satisfaction from the love and undisguised glee of this company at being in a position to help keep her Drifters legacy alive.
Runs until 4 May. Tickets here.
