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Dance offering familiar steps
Save the Last Dance for Me Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton *** FRESH on heels
of their current touring hit
Dreamboats and Petticoats,
writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran have another bout of nostalgia
doing the rounds. Save The Last Dance For Me takes the same format as its, frankly, better predecessor and delivers what the audience have come to see and hear - those rose coloured snapshots of a time they used to know against a backdrop of sugar sweet hits of the era. In effect, it's a concert with
a loose story line thrown in to link it all together. Done well, there's
nothing wrong with that and there's no reason why that shouldn't result
in a winning, feel good evening. Sadly though, this is not the case
here. The reason this fails where
Dreamboats succeeded lies in its rather haphazard storyline and it's
lack of charm. Far too often, it fails to hit the spot or properly
engage an audience who, to be fair, were there for the taking. At the very least, a show
relying so much on recognisable hits should contain songs that are
precisely that. We are even told by the pre-show announcer that we will
know these songs and should feel free to join in. I would have loved too
- had I have heard of half of them. In amongst the obscurity are
some out and out classics like Then He Kissed Me, Suspicion , Sweets
for my Sweet and A Teenager in love' and as recognition
kicked, the audience came alive. The placement of songs is at times a little random. Tender, romantic moments of dialogue are often followed by big, upbeat numbers which immediately loses the mood just established and potentially sweet moments are lost. In a story of young love lost
and found, there is plenty of scope for a bit of heart rending but too
often the beat was stepped up in a desire to keep the energy high. There is a attempt to feature some social commentary about attitudes towards mixed race relationships.
The central black character is teased about the colour of his skin in a distinctly ‘ Carry On' style. Whilst the intention is presumably to highlight the ignorance of xenophobic whites in the early 1960's , tackling this kind of issue in such a candy floss show seems a little awkward at times. On a more positive note, there are some fine performances and a solid ensemble. Hannah Frederick shines
as the worldly wise big sister, Jennifer - beautifully expressive and
pin point stage presence Graham Weaver as
Carlo mostly nails a Black Country accent and possesses a wonderful
falsetto. Megan Jones as Marie is suitably wide eyed and innocent as
Marie - staying on the right side of cutesy. For those who love their
nostalgia , this is a perfectly good way of bathing in it. It doesn't
set the world on fire but it will give you a glow for a couple of hours
at least. To 02-06-12 Tom
Roberts
THE conflicts
that occurred when an innocent white teenage girl fell in love with a
handsome black American airman in the early 1960s are explored in this
new musical by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who wrote the hit show
Dreamboats and Petticoats. Performed to a string of popular songs from that
era, it works well, and a more enlightened first night audience cheered
enthusiastically when the young couple who appear to be drifting apart,
are re-united in the lively finale.
While there Marie, perfectly played by Megan
Jones meets airman Curtis, shrugging off any prejudices inside and
outside the base as she finds herself attracted to him, and Curtis is in
turn, is completely genuine in his affection for her. Jason Denton excels as Curtis, and there are fine
performances from Hannah Frederick (Marie's sister), Tosh Wanogho-Maud
(military policeman Rufus) and A.J.Dean (airman Milton). Hits songs in the show include A Teenager in
Love (the first night audience immediately joined in), Viva Las
Vegas, Sweets for my Sweet, Can't Get Used to Losing You and, of
course, Save the Last Dance for Me. Directed by Bill Kenwright, the musical runs to
Saturday 02.06.12 Paul Marston
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