More Reviews

In an attempt to catch up below are further reviews from the opening (press) night of Million Dollar Quartet.



Million Dollar Quartet at the Noel Coward Theatre
Posted by Milly Kenny-Ryder in Theatre
You may have seen the bright Million Dollar Quartet sign near Leicester Square, it has been up for some time. The show celebrates the night that four of the greatest rock’n'roll legends came together: Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins under the guidance of Sam Phillips, record producer at Sun Records.
On this night in 1956 the four have an epic jam session and make music history.
This show is lots of fun, and the score will delight visitors of all ages. The production is less a musical than a tribute act, with four very talented impersonators. There is little narrative, so if you need the loo halfway through, the most you’re going to miss is a favourite Elvis number. While watching, I found many parallels with Woody Sez, the show on just round the corner showcasing folk artist Woody Guthrie’s life and music. There are also similarities with box office success Jersey Boys, particularly in the staging that favours dramatic static poses and strong silhouettes.
Of the four performers, Ben Goddard sparkles brightest, playing the cheeky Jerry Lee Lewis; he has a magnetic spirit and an irresistible charm. He is an exceptional pianist and has a voice that is full of fire. Goddard energises the score matching the original Lewis’s star quality. Robert Britton Lyons has a tricky task playing the less famous musician Carl Perkins, luckily his guitar skills make up for the slightly bland characterisation. Both Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley) fulfil the brief as their respective legends; it’s a pleasure to listen to their renditions of some classic numbers and they seem to love being up there. There is secure back-up too from Francesca Jackson as Presley’s squeeze Dyanne, and Bill Ward as the enthusiastic ringleader Sam Phillips.
Although Million Dollar Quartet may not be as durable as its competitors, no-one can deny the talent and fun that the show displays by the bucket-load.

Kate Kellaway
The Observer, Sunday 6 March 2011
Million Dollar Quartet focuses on 4 December 1956, when Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins were together at Sun Records, Memphis, Tennessee. This creates an opportunistic excuse for an almost non-stop performance of their hits. This jukebox musical plays so safe it ought to be dangerous, but a fresh cast, directed with pizzazz, by Eric Schaeffer, saves it. Ben Goddard, as Jerry Lee Lewis, is a sensation: manically musical. Michael Malarkey has an admirable stab at Elvis (an impossible undertaking). Robert Britton Lyons (the only cast member imported from the US) convinces as Carl Perkins. And Derek Hagen exactly catches Johnny Cash's brooding quality. The "story" is held together by record producer/narrator Sam Phillips (a capable Bill Ward). I took one of my teenage sons along. He has had no experience of blue suede shoes, great balls of fire or of hound dogs – at least, not musically speaking. "The music was great," he said.

The Million Dollar Quartet
Noel Coward Theatre, London WC2
Sunday 06 March 2011
by Dennis Poole
A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On could be a signature tune for 1956, the year that gave us the 20th Congress of the CPSU and some notable events in Hungary, Vietnam and Suez.
And it's the concluding number in The Million Dollar Quartet, a new musical which celebrates an impromptu music session held at the Sun recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 4 that year.
The prototype supergroup of Carl Perkins (Robert Britton Lyons), Elvis Presley (Michael Malarkey), Johnny Cash (Derek Hagen) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Ben Goddard) jam their way through a couple of dozen rock'n'roll standards and the show also features the owner of Sun Records Sam Phillips (Bill Ward) and Elvis's girlfriend Dyanne (Francesca Jackson).
The sparse narrative centres on the perceived tensions between the main characters with Perkins, resentful of Presley's greater success with his own first record Blue Suede Shoes, now looking for the next big hit.
Financially strapped, Phillips had recently sold Presley's contract to RCA and is keen to sign Cash to a three-year contract extension. Cash, having already been approached by Columbia records with a lucrative offer, is torn between loyalty to Phillips and the glittering prizes.
Presley is shown to be uncomfortable with the musical and commercial directions being laid out for him by RCA and Colonel Tom Parker and he revels in the simpler pleasures of jamming with the boys, while Lewis provides the spice in the mix. Anarchic, irreverent and with an outrageous talent he is restlessly impatient for the big break.
Floyd Mutrux, who originally conceived the idea for the show, has taken considerable liberty with historical accuracy. Leaving aside the contrived relationships, only three of the songs in the show featured in the original encounter.
But what the hell, this ain't serious drama. It's a 90-minute romp through some of the early gems of rock'n'roll.
Musically the show relies heavily upon Goddard's manic piano playing and Lyons's driving lead guitar with workmanlike contributions from Malarkey and Hagen on acoustic guitar. Hagen effectively captures Cash's bass vocal tones particularly in I Walk the Line, but Malarkey is less convincing as Presley.
Unsurprisingly Lyons, who transfers from the Broadway production, gives an excellent representation as Perkins and is vocally and instrumentally spot on. The Devil, as always, has the best lines and Goddard as Jerry Lee steals the show with exuberant renditions of Great Balls of Fire and A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, while Francesca Jackson (Dyanna) offers a stunning version of Fever.
The front-line performers are well supported by Gez Gerrard as Perkin's brother Jay on string bass and there's efficient drum support by Adam Riley as Fluke.
If you're nostalgic for genuine rock 'n'roll go and see this show. But don't be expecting to dance in the aisles, 'cos there aren't any.


This is South Wales
Saturday, March 05, 2011, 09:00
Hopeful is one in a million
SWANSEA stage star Francesca Jackson has finally proved Andrew Lloyd Webber wrong by landing a top West End role.
Francesca made the live finals of BBC reality contest I'd Do Anything, but she was voted off meaning she didn't get to play Nancy on stage in Oliver! Three years on she has shown Lord Webber she belongs in the West End where she is now starring in hit show Million Dollar Quartet.
In an exclusive chat at the opening night, Francesca told me: "It's great to have the chance to show I'm good enough to be in the West End. It was really tough when I was voted off I'd Do Anything so getting this role has meant a lot.
"It's definitely one of the best jobs I've ever had!
"It's been such a laugh so far and I'm really enjoying it."
The show, playing at the Noel Coward Theatre, is about music legends Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis during their time at Sun Records in Memphis.
And Ystalyfera-born Francesca, 27, plays the only female part in the show, Dyanne, which opened to rave reviews this week.
She told me: "The boys are very protective over me because I'm the only girl. They all seem to want to look after me!
"It's great playing a sexy role, but in truth the curves aren't all mine — I wear padding all over. It means I sweat an awful lot on stage."

Million Dollar Quartet Press Night

Ok so I apologise for not getting these up sooner, but have been caught up with work and stuff so here goes;

THE ARTS DESK

Tuesday, 01 March 2011 00:02

Million Dollar Quartet, Noël Coward Theatre

Written by Joe Muggs

Michael Malarkey as an "easygoing" Elvis Tristram Kenton

As acting challenges go it borders on the foolhardy: impersonate not just in looks and mannerisms but in musical skill too some of the most truly iconic figures of the 20th century. And do it up close and personal with an audience who know the subjects' work inside out to boot. It seems almost impossible that a cast could manage to convincingly portray the (real) musical meeting of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins at Sam Phillips's Sun Studios in 1956, but Million Dollar Quartet has managed successful and continuing runs in Chicago and on Broadway, so they must be doing something right, mustn't they?

Well, to a degree. There's no denying that as a spectacle it is quite something to behold. The four main players' ability, singing and playing every song with only a rhythm section for back-up, to sound like their subject ranged from excellent to uncanny, and they weren't too shabby on the physical appearances either. Clearly casting this show – all bar one member were cast completely afresh in the transfer to London – must have been a long and rigorous process to say the very least. The performances mesh impressively too, not just a set of impersonations, but true ensemble work, with the musical numbers perfectly segued in and out of exposition and physical comedy.

'There was never any sense of the devil in Jerry Lee, no sense of the danger and raging fire'

And yet, and yet... while there is absolutely no danger of getting bored through the non-stop 100-minute performance, and quite a few moments of boggling accomplishment, it all too rarely provides the real thrills that something tapping into the mainline of rock'n'roll should be able to access. A key moment comes very early on with Ben Goddard's first solo song as Jerry Lee Lewis (pictured right): every tic, every flick of the curled fringe, every vamp and trick on the piano is there – it's a fantastically engaging simulacrum – but though we certainly get the sense of a belligerent young country boy wild with ambition, there is never any sense of the devil in Jerry Lee, no sense of the danger and raging fire that are visible in even the earliest available footage of the real thing.

Likewise Derek Hagan's Johnny Cash: certainly one of the best soundalikes I've ever heard, and physically not a bad resemblance – but oddly awkward in his stance, lacking the utter assurance that made The Man in Black as much as did his baritone. And rock musician Robert Britton Lyons as Carl Perkins, despite having originally created the role himself in Chicago, is very obviously not an actor: great in all the scenes involving musical interplay and fluent in his speech, but when it comes to individual expression he relies mainly on a repertoire of about six eyebrow movements.

Easily the best of the bunch, amazingly, is Michael Malarkey as Elvis (pictured with group, left): brushing away the memories of a million terrible impersonators, he homes in on Presley's easygoing charm, playing him with a lightness of touch that gives us one of the show's best moments. A flashback sequence in which Sam Phillips (a sparkily avuncular Bill Ward) recalls his first meeting with the young Presley suddenly turned electric when the enormity of what it meant to be hearing “That's All Right” performed for the first time became clear. Likewise towards the end when we see Phillips stand outside the studio with “Great Balls of Fire” being recorded inside, the sense that this is a real historical moment brings everything vividly to life for just a second.

And therein lies the problem with the show: although it might seem churlish to pick such an astoundingly executed spectacle up for not being transcendently great, it is a near impossibility not to be constantly reminded of the possibility of that greatness by what is being depicted on stage. No matter how brilliantly choreographed the action and charming the actors, they are always asking for comparison with some of the greatest or most epochal performances of all time. As a top-notch revue, as a series of genuinely great set pieces held together with just enough plot, pathos and historical accuracy to make it more than a simple jukebox show, Million Dollar Quartet is a major achievement, and it's a good night out. In theory it should be a great one – but achieving the necessary suspension of disbelief is a more difficult obstacle than you might expect

FINANCIAL TIMES

Million Dollar Quartet, Noël Coward Theatre, London

By Ian Shuttleworth

Published: March 1 2011 18:49 | Last updated: March 1 2011 18:49

On December 4 1956 in the Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, Johnny Cash (just then making a name for himself), Carl Perkins (who had already had his greatest hit with his own song “Blue Suede Shoes”), Jerry Lee Lewis (newly signed) and Elvis Presley (who by this point was definitively Elvis) held a jam session. Tapes survive of 40-odd songs. This stage musical includes only a couple of dozen, and a mere three sung during that session: “Peace in the Valley”, “Down by the Riverside” and Chuck Berry’s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”.

There would, after all, simply be no audience for a show that brought these four talents together, even in surrogate form, only to have them faithfully tackle country and gospel numbers. Writers Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux opt for a jukebox musical. They even throw in a couple of numbers for Elvis’s girlfriend (who did not perform that day, and has moreover been renamed here).

This is far from the most perfunctory of compilation musicals; it is not simply a mock-concert in which the “acts” trot out their biggies. There is narrative: its stories of Cash and Perkins ending their Sun contracts take major liberties with chronology, but no more than having the Quartet belt out songs not written at the time. There is character interaction, especially between Perkins and Lewis.

Ben Goddard’s Lewis could not be calmed down by a truckload of tranquillisers, and he ably reproduces the Killer’s psychopathic piano-playing style (all the music in the show is played by those on stage). Robert Britton Lyons plays a mean guitar as Perkins, though his style sounds more like Link Wray. (Show me a sharecropper with a gold-top Gibson Les Paul guitar and I’ll show you a gentleman farmer.) Derek Hagen makes an efficient Johnny Cash, Michael Malarkey has the most invidious task as Elvis, and Bill Ward as producer and label owner Sam Phillips is a glorified master of ceremonies, quite unlike surviving footage of Phillips himself.

There are many worse jukebox shows around, and the legendary status of the original event gives this show a broad potential audience, which is just as well, since most of 1956’s teenagers are today’s septuagenarians.

Million Dollar Quartet doesn't throb with heart and soul

Smooth, not sultry: Michael Malarkey as Elvis Presley

By Henry Hitchings
1 Mar 2011

The success of Jersey Boys shows there's an appetite for musicals that are part jukebox extravaganza, part documentary - full of hit songs faithfully delivered, and spiced with humour and testosterone. Million Dollar Quartet, arriving in the West End after making a splash in America, is just such an exercise in upbeat nostalgia.

One day in December 1956, the studios of Sun Records in Memphis witnessed a remarkable convergence of talent, when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis combined for a jam session. That event is the inspiration for this energetic workout, conceived by Floyd Mutrux and brought to life with the help of Colin Escott.

In Eric Schaeffer's efficient production the hits come thick and fast: Great Balls of Fire, Hound Dog, I Walk the Line, Blue Suede Shoes. Presiding over matters is Sam Phillips (Bill Ward), the proprietor of Sun, whose commentary stitches the songs into a somewhat clunky narrative.

The music is recreated in an enjoyably vigorous style. The performances go beyond being impersonations, though of course they have to satisfy in that respect. Ben Goddard stands out as Lewis, with effortless technical skill, plain-spoken forwardness and brazen peculiarity.

Michael Malarkey's Elvis seems a bit understated - smooth without being sultry. Derek Hagen's Cash is credible, yet I wanted more of the real Cash's rich, rumbling pain in his interpretation. Robert Britton Lyons, the one survivor from Broadway, arguably has the hardest job as Perkins, now much less famous than the other three. But he pulls it off, playing a mean guitar.

While the ensemble work is vibrant, this is a show that doesn't exactly throb with heart and soul. When at one point we hear a crackly recording from the Fifties, it has a magnetic quality that the modern version never manages.

Despite the proficiency of the performances, there's a lack of visceral thrill here. Million Dollar Quartet is decent entertainment, yet fans of the music, even as they enjoy this account of it, are likely to find themselves hankering after their old 45s.

The Stage

Million Dollar Quartet

Published Tuesday 1 March 2011 at 10:20 by Mark Shenton

Here’s a pop compilation concert show with a difference - it actually happened, sort of, on December 4, 1956. At the Memphis recording studios of Sun Records, four rock ‘n’ roll giants - Elvis Presley (who was originally on the label but had already decamped to RCA before becoming a movie star, too), Jerry Lee Lewis (who had just arrived on the scene), and Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash (both shown here about to defect to Columbia) - got together for an informal jamming session.

THE STAGE

Million Dollar Quartet

Published Tuesday 1 March 2011 at 10:20 by Mark Shenton

Million Dollar Quartet seeks to recreate it, and imagines some of the conversations and interactions that might have occurred between the four men and their Svengali-like record producer Sam Phillips, with Elvis’ girlfriend Dyanne - who spends most of the evening smiling sweetly - and an additional onstage bass player and drummer looking on.

All of which feels very authentic, passionate and compelling, except that it didn’t happen quite this way. Not even the playlist was the same, as over half of what they sang on the day were in fact gospel songs.

The creators of this show, originally conceived and directed by Floyd Mutrux, try to flummox us by effectively giving us a jukebox of some of their greatest hits instead, like Blue Suede Shoes (originally recorded by Perkins but then made more famous by Presley) and Great Balls of Fire (originally recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Studios nearly a year later).

There are also plenty of covers of other songs of the era, like Fever (not recorded by Elvis until 1960, but here recreated as a song for his girlfriend to sing) and the Dean Martin hit Memories Are Made of This (which was not recorded by Cash until 1996).

Nor is the chronology accurate on the facts. It wasn’t until two years later that Cash and Perkins left for Columbia. But if you can put aside the spurious history, the show succeeds triumphantly in making you feel the joy of the music-making. On this score, in every sense, there isn’t a slicker, more polished set of impressionists in town.

The quartet here of Ben Goddard (as Jerry Lee Lewis, thumping at the keyboards with real passion and panache), Robert Britton Lyons (recreating his Broadway performance as Carl Perkins), Derek Hagen (as Johnny Cash) and Michael Malarkey (as Elvis) fully live up to the show’s Million Dollar billing of them.

The West End may already be filled with shows that draw on old pop catalogues, from Abba and Queen to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as well as Dreamboats and Petticoats and Dirty Dancing, but the market for pop nostalgia is seemingly bottomless, and should be well satisfied by this latest accomplished entry.

The Hollywood Reporter

Million Dollar Quartet: Theater Review

3:58 PM 3/1/2011 by Ray Bennett

Tristram Kenton

The Bottom Line

Broadway’s Sun Records hit rocks London’s West End.

Venue

Noel Coward Theatre, London (Through Oct. 1)

Cast

Robert Britton Lyons, Derek Hagen, Ben Goddard, Michael Malarkey, Bill Ward, Francesca Jackson

Director

Eric Schaeffer

The production, directed by Eric Schaeffer and playing through Oct. 1 in London's Noel Coward Theatre, isn't so much a musical as it is a concert.

LONDON -- Million Dollar Quartet is a straight-forward jukebox musical, but since the music comes from Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis at Sun Records in the 1950s, it’s not your average jukebox.

Like Sunday in the Park With George, the stage show is based on a single image, and like that Stephen Sondheim classic, it attempts to flesh out how the picture came about. That’s where the comparison ends, as it’s not so much a musical as a concert.

In this case, it’s the famous photo of the four singers at a piano in Sam Phillips’ Memphis recording studio, and the book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux reveals something about what was going on in those heady days of rock ’n’ roll in its infancy — but not a whole lot.

There is, however, a whole lot of shaking going on as 23 numbers from that time are given full measure by director Eric Schaeffer, who has brought his creative team from Broadway. The show is as slick as Elvis’ hair.

American Robert Britton Lyons, who originated the role of Perkins on Broadway and has appeared in every production since, joins an otherwise British cast. He has more of the strut and presence of an early rock star than the others, although Derek Hagen as Cash, Ben Goddard as Lewis and Michael Malarkey are all terrific performers.

Malarkey more resembles Joaquin Phoenix as Cash in Walk the Line than Elvis. He’s a little too compact for the legendary performer, although he does catch Presley’s sneer in the right light, and his baritone is strong if not an echo of the original in numbers such as “That’s All Right, Mama,” “Peace in the Valley” and “Hound Dog.”

Hagen looks less like Cash than John C. Reilly playing Dewey Cox, but he has Cash’s way with a rhythm guitar, and his rich, deep voice is a match for the Man in Black on songs including “Sixteen Tons,” “I Walk the Line” and “Riders in the Sky.”

Goddard is a little chunky for the skinny Lewis, but he has his blond locks and powerful vocal delivery. He pounds out “Real Wild Child,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” with tremendous verve.

It’s Lyons, however, who parades the real stuff of rockabilly. Like Perkins, he’s lean with slicked-back hair and has a mean way with a lead guitar. He conveys the bitterness that Perkins had over Presley winning all the glory for “Blue Suede Shoes,” which he performs to kick off the show, but he also has the charm of a man whose compositions such as “Matchbox” and “Honey Don’t” became staples for later rock bands. The latter was not in the earlier productions but has been added to the West End show. The program makes a point of thanking Paul McCartney, who now owns the song.

Francesca Jackson is a welcome feminine presence as a girlfriend of Elvis, and she demonstrates genuine flare on “Fever” and “I Hear You Knocking.” Gez Gerrard on double bass and Adam Riley on drums remain onstage throughout and give the music the correct propulsion.

Lewis and Perkins trade insults throughout the show, which makes a break for Bill Ward as Phillips, who tells what story there is of the four artists and Sun Records before they went on to fame and riches and he just got fabulously wealthy from radio stations and Holiday Inn stock.

The evening ends with the boys in gleaming jackets as the audience rises irresistibly to the beat of some mightily impressive and infectious rockabilly.

Broadway World Review

BWW Reviews: MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, Noel Coward Theatre, Feb 28 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011; Posted: 06:03 PM - by Robert Gould

"Goodness gracious - great balls of fire! Not another jukebox musical!" That may well be what many people will be screaming on hearing of the opening of Million Dollar Quartet at London's Noel Coward Theatre. But it would be a mistake to dismiss this show as "yet another" anything. Even for a jukebox sceptic like me, it's a hugely entertaining show.

Inspired by an actual event on 4 December 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet recreates the event masterminded by Sun Records' founder Sam Phillips when legendary stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis performed together for the only time in their careers. Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux's book examines the friendship, jealousies and divided loyalties of the stars in a workmanlike fashion which has some nice touches of humour. Eric Shaeffer's direction manages to hold everything together tightly and allows the songs to emerge naturally as "performance" numbers which - - unlike in many other jukebox shows - never seem forced. And the songs are all Rock'n Roll, Blues or Country classics - including "Blue Suede Shoes", "Hound Dog", "I Walk The Line", "Sixteen Tons", etc.

But what makes the show a real treat is the collection of top-drawer performances from the eight-strong cast of actors/singers/musicians. Gez Gerrard and Adam Riley are both consummate musicians in the supporting "band"; Bill Ward exudes charismatic charm as Sam Phillips; Francesca Jackson adds a touch of class as Elvis's girlfriend, Dyanne - delivering a haunting and sultry vocal of "Fever" and taking the roof off the house with "I Hear You Knocking"; Derek Hagen's Johnny Cash makes everyone in the theatre believe the real Mr. Cash is on the stage; Robert Britton Lyons (who created the role of Carl Perkins on Broadway) makes a sensational acting and singing West End debut; Michael Malarkey wears the crown of The King with total credibility and demonstrates he has the vocals to match his considerable acting talents. But even in this outstanding company, Ben Goddard succeeds in stealing the show with a highly energised, aptly off-the-wall performance as Jerry Lee Lewis which proves he not only possesses great skills as an actor but is also a truly amazing pianist and a genuine vocal powerhouse.

To answer the bottom line questions - is it high art? No. Is it great fun? Hell, yes! Does it look like a show worthy of being a West End hit? I would say it looks like a million dollars.

First Official Review from Press Night

Well with Press Night Last Night, the first review is in from Michael Billington at the Guardian.

Michael Billington
guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 February 2011 22.15 GMT

Poignant moment … Michael Malarkey as Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
1956 was a momentous year: the Suez crisis, the Hungarian revolution, Khruschev's denuniciation of Stalin. But it was also a time of cultural upheaval, and this exuberantly nostalgic show recreates the occasion on 4 December when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins all converged on the Sun Records studio in Memphis for some impromptu music-making.
Sam Phillips, who turned an old radiatior shop into the pioneering Sun studio and who hosts the get-together, is described by one of the group as "the father of rock'n'roll"; and Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux's story records the poignant moment at which the sons abandon the father. Elvis has already been sold to RCA and become a Hollywood star, and the others now accept that it is time to move on. But, though the show pinpoints the eclipse of the Sun and the tensions within the group, such as Perkins's resentment of Presley's refashioning of Blue Suede Shoes, what we see on stage is a celebration; and, if you're of a certain generation, it's a joy to hear once again numbers such as Hound Dog, Great Balls of Fire and I Walk the Line.
Obviously, the cast have to compete with our memories of the real thing, but Ben Goddard does a particularly good job of conveying the anarchic wildness of Jerry Lee Lewis. But Michael Malarkey as Elvis, Derek Hagen as Johnny Cash and Robert Britton Lyons, the one authentic American, as Carl Perkins offer substance as well as shadows. Bill Ward as the pathfinding Phillips and Francesca Jackson as Elvis's squeeze, who offers a notably sultry, microphone-caressing version of Fever, add to the gaiety of a show that taps into all our yesterdays.

Maidenhead Advertiser Review

Dreamboats and Petticoats - Theatre Royal Windsor

5:31pm Wed 4th Aug 10:: written by Siobhan Newman

The needle moves on the Dansette record player, there's a swish of sugar-stiffened skirts and we're off transported back to 1961.

It's the heady days when teenagers were just invented and St Mungo's youth club in an Essex town is a hotbed of hormones, rock'n'roll and Tizer-fuelled posturing.

Bobby wants to join the band but confident Norman pips him to it. Both want sexy Sue's attention and Bobby's so busy trying to get noticed he can't see how his pal's little sister Laura is falling in love with him.

Written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (of Birds of a Feather fame), the show is much more than an excuse to string some rockin' hits together.

There are rich characters, ripe one-liners and a cracking bit of slapstick that whips into There Goes My Baby with spot-on timing. But, like the Sixties, you had to be there.

The references are fun: jubblies, Formica, milkshakes costing one and six... It's amazing how the words Vauxhall Velux can elicit a belly laugh.

The live band playing all the music is great too. Runaround Sue, Shaking All Over, Let's Twist Again, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen had the Baby Boomers and their big brothers, sisters and descendants dancing in the aisles.

Daniella Bowen (Laura), Josh Capper (Bobby) and Jonathan Bremner (Norman) were all smash hits in the lead roles but Francesca Jackson stole the show as Sue.

The time trip of your life...

Broadway World Review of A Little Night Music

Ok so the show ended on Saturday and below is the review for Robert Gould who was at closing night.

Review: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, Theatre du Chatelet, Paris, February 20, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010; Posted: 05:02 PM - by Robert Gould


It is not often that a production of a vintage piece of musical theatre overshadows the original production but that is precisely what happened during a magical new staging of the Stephen Sondheim/Hugh Wheeler musical A Little Night Music at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris last week. The musical was originally directed on Broadway in 1973 by the legendary Hal Prince and has been frequently staged at venues all over the world since then (most recently at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the Garrick Theatre and now on Broadway, directed by Trevor Nunn). But this incarnation, directed by Lee Blakely, is the most beautiful and stunning version of the show I have ever seen.

The plot of the show (set in Sweden at the turn of the 20th century) concerns lawyer Fredeik Egerman, who - frustrated in his marriage to a 17-year-old bride, still a virgin after 11 months of marriage - seeks out his old flame, actress Desiree Armfeldt, who is in the throes of a complicated relationship with a womanising Dragoon, Count Carl-Magnus, who is himself married to the long-suffering Charlotte. Other characters, including Fredrik's son, Desiree's daughter and Anne's maid, Petra, are woven into the fabric of this clever tapestry of lovers and fools. And the proceedings are insightfully observed by Desiree's mother, Madame Armfeldt, who explains that the night will smile three times - for the young, for the fools and for the old.

Full of some of Sondheim's wittiest and most poignant lyrics, which sit on top of the Grand Master of musical theatre's most ravishing score, A Little Night Music has always been one of his most crowd-pleasing and successful musicals. But this Parisian outing allowed the piece to shine brighter than ever. Lee Blakely masterfully orchestrated his actors and scenery to create a perfectly seamless progression of dramatic action, which - aided by Andrew George's choreography, Jo van Schuppen's beautiful costumes and Jenny Cane's stunning lighting - exploded into a magnificent spectacle that delighted both the eyes and ears of the audience.

And the cast were simply magnificent, singing quite beautifully throughout. In particular, Deanne Meek delivered Countess Charlotte's barbed one-liners with great comic timing, Greta Scacchi glistened with class as Desiree and performed the show's iconic song (Send In The Clowns) with the perfect balance of subtlety and pathos - while Leslie Caron's Madame Armfeldt owned the stage for every second she was on it. But, even in this great company, Francesca Jackson - whose performance as Petra was a sheer delight throughout - came close to stealing the show with her sensational rendition of the penultimate musical number, The Miller's Son.

A Little Night Music is based on the Ingmar Bergman classic film, Smiles Of A Summer Night. The smiles were particularly broad in Paris last week.

Further Reviews From Paris

Here are three further reviews of A Little Night Music, I have pulled out some small sections from each of the reviews and pasted the link to the full review is below each one if you wish to read the full review.

Rebecca Bottone quicksilver, stunning Francesca Jackson, Nicholas Garrett, Deane Meek, Leon Lopez, David Curry as they are all amazing singers like run-of Lebeslieder Quintet.

Webthea Review

Francesca Jackson stops the show with one of Sondheim’s greatest numbers, the maid Petra’s The Miller’s Son,

Telegraph Review

Special mention to Francesca Jackson (Petra, the maid of Egerman) and Nicholas Garrett (Count Malcolm, until some ridiculous elements of the uniform) for their vocal prowess. With the complicity of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, Jonathan Stockhammer reveals the great beauties of this "Little Night Music."
Philippe Venturini, Les Echos

Les Echos Review

Kulturkompasset Review

Well the reviews for this production are coming in from everywhere here's another one for you to enjoy.....


Kluturkompasset Review

France Today's Review

Here is another review yet again Fran has received some well deserved praise....

France Today

the rest of the cast is equally up to par, notably Nicolas Garret as Desirée's pompous lover, Deanne Meek as his long-suffering wife and Francesca Jackson-a true Broadway belter-as the effervescent maid Petra.

Further Reviews From Paris

Here are another couple of reviews from Paris.

Fran has been praised again for her performance as Petra by the Financial Times.


(From Left; Rebecca Bottone, Lambert Wilson and Francesca Jacson)

It is not all plain sailing with the cast, where some sing better than they can act and vice versa, highlighted here by Nicholas Garrett's Carl-Magnus and Deanne Meek's Charlotte, who can do both, magnificently. Francesca Jackson belts out a barnstorming performance as Petra the maid and David Curry copes well with Henrik's pole-vaulting tessitura.

For the full articles please see attached links;

FT.Com Review

Press Associtation Review

Review from Opening Night

The following is a translated version of a review from Last nights Opening night written by Manuel Atreus

Le journal du Beau & du Bien-être

Fran has been singled out for her talented portrail in this production.



Last night at the Chatelet theater is playing the French premiere of the classic musical comedy in the USA: A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim. Virtually unknown in France, this piece, created from the Ingmar Bergman film, Smiles of a Summer Night, is one of the masterpieces of the genre across the Atlantic.

The story is somewhat complex, intersecting paths and amorous desires of 6 characters. Fredrik Egerman and Anne are married but have a significant age difference, Fredrik having a son, Henrik, age of his wife. Fredrik was once the lover of a stage actress, Desiree Armfeldt, which is now the mistress of an officer of dragoons, Carl-Magnus Malcolm, himself married to Charlotte.

What you want, simplicity is the enemy of banter, too much light often affects the parallel love affairs or cross! Around this small circle revolves 4 other characters: Petra (the right of Anne and Fredrik), Frid, butler's daughter, Desiree, Fredrika (!) And finally the mother of Desiree, an old lady who was at the believe, a life full of joy, adventure and lovers prestigious and wealthy who have inherited both the physical means to an honorable life, comfortable and rich, tender and sometimes burning memories. Memories that will used to reveal the games of love and sex to her little girl, taking at the role of guiding part in explaining a beautiful Scandinavian summer night smiles three times: once for the youth, once for fools once and for old age.

To be brief, say that none of our 6 main characters is happy in her love life and sex and all are in search of the Other, the one with which the harmony and pleasure are finally meeting you. Throughout the musical, couples will make or break, tear, reconciliation, and finally pair. Provided that with such a plot, the work is rather risky, for the creator, director and performers. A Little Night Music is a fragile flower to be beautiful, must avoid the pitfalls of vulgarity or excessive prudishness. Stephen Sondheim, who was the lyricist L. Bernstein West Side Story, created the music and dialogues full of finesse, depth and richness, a work of rare and delicate balance, and yet with great strength.

The phenomenal success he has met since its inception in 1973 has welcomed this performance. The staging of this production at the Chatelet is no less happy, Lee Blakeley was able to leverage the work of fine art director Rae Smith, light and rich scholarly Jenny Cane and elegant costumes by Jo van Schuppen. Andrew George sign the choreography that punctuate the piece dances outdated evoking the golden age. All this together creates a happy, served by the brilliant performance of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer.

Remained in place in this beautiful setting, the acting. And the poster is attractive, see: Greta Scacchi, Lambert Wilson and Leslie Caron headlining, supported by real opera singers or music hall, beautiful voice rich and deep. Everyone kept their roles brilliantly, Francesca Jackson standing out of the lot for her interpretation of air from the good (the Miller's son) that we probably all back on Broadway so her song was the perfect example of these voice and the dynamic signing the American musical.

The three headliners are, themselves, not professionals for the year. And answered with a blessing sometimes uneven. Leslie Caron has not always managed to slip into the role of Madame Armfeldt, even with a hole in his text. This is particularly unfortunate that this great lady, with her unique course, did not need that to stay in the firmament of great. His final still caught a lot and I would not tap this great lady who deserves my respect. Lambert Wilson it is much better out. It is very good actor, has a fine powerful baritone voice. He has already played the same work in London.

However, there is no opera singer and has suffered somewhat last night, comparison with Nicholas Garrett (excellent Carl-Magnus!) In the duet "It would have been wonderful." It has some limits in the early part, probably due to nerves. However, he camped a beautiful Fredrik, inhabiting the character and playing the man, nostalgic for his foolish youth gives way to the end to pick up the thread of his life and finally find happiness.

Greta Scacchi ... that mean? Madam, I do not want to offend you and if you're reading this, do not take my remarks as criticism, this is not one. Not sure sing! You do not have a lyric voice, and I do not know if you've just always sung yesterday. And yet, despite this very big handicap, you have camped a great Desiree. Your game, your interpretation was perfect for me. Desiree you were a woman in the twilight of his youth, who sees his illusions were shattered in the room, leaving her injured, lost, disillusioned but still saved, finding happiness with the man she loves without telling him (and without to say!) for so many years. Yes, it's true, you have not sung this beautifully fresh air that is "Send in the Clowns". But you just sang. You were playing fair. I do not know exactly how, but I like the idea that you're leaning on that weakness voice into a force to be a core on which you've built your interpretation. Ms. Scacchi, you were brilliant last night and I hope you feel how the audience (me at least!) Had been touched by your work. Because that's what I love, in the artistic work on stage.

This risk taking. This acceptance of his own limitations. The work of the artist who will rely on both the strengths but also its shortcomings to climb, perhaps with pain or fear, to a level of play that makes a room is just a game, but the fact that a song is just a piece of music but the cry of the heart. I always have great admiration for those artists who can rely on the humanity with what she has beauty and weakness to tell us the world and life. A Little Night Music is a great work, beautiful and fragile as a whisper that the slightest cry extinguish. Yesterday evening, however, the murmur has covered the clamor of our daily vanity to take us, a few hours in a happy and a little magical about the intersection of Mozart and Shakespeare. Thanks to the genius of Stephen Sondheim and smile so beautiful and human Greta Scacchi. Hats off to the artists!

The Sheffield Star Review

REVIEW: Dreamboats and Petticoats, The LyceumPremium Article
Published Date: 02 December 2009

This musical, named after the best selling album, could easily have been trite and contrived; a loose story of 60's youngsters, complete with teenage angst, falling in and out of love and entering a song writing competition, the whole show linked by all the songs from the 60's you remember.
But from the opening number of Let's Dance (Chris Montez had the orginal hit ) the show rocks. Each member of the young cast exudes talent and committment as they sing and dance their way, with superb timing, through songs that their parents sang and everyone can sing along too.

Forty years on and countless replays later, most know the words to most of the songs, a tribute no doubt to the art of telling a story in under three minutes.

If you can remember the E type Jag unveiled and Danny Blanchflower refusing to appear on This is Your Life; Rod Laver winning Wimbledon and the contraceptive pill going on sale that's the era in which Bobby competes with Norman for the affection of sweet Sue, growing up in the 60's, all set to over 40 timeless songs.

Bobby, played by Josh Capper, is ideally cast at the geeky teenager, growing into a man. Song writing schoogirl Laura (Lauren Hood) perfectly cast as a sweet innocent and Norman (Jonathan Bremner) as the cocky, know it all, Jack the Lad, older than his years who produces a performance of comedy and pathos, epitomising the ego maniacal character with charm and Elvis-like curling lip and hip swivelling gyrations.

The young cast belt out impressive performances with gusto, the band rocking out songs like The Wanderer, Da Do Ron Ron, Poetry in Motion, Do You Wanna dance etc etc. And a day at the seaside helps to create the type of nostalgia that really does make you feel good.

Bobby's voice reaches the Lyceum roof on Only the Lonely, while Laura's Teenager in Love is achingly heartfelt.

The whole cast certainly work together in unison, their ability and obvious enjoyment is transmitted to the audience.

The quality of the performance is simply staggering and from the last few numbers starting with Let's Twist Again; the whole Lyceum audience was on its feet, singing, clapping and dancing.

If this feelgood musical doesn't do what is says on the tin then really you must have died!

So many classic songs from the late 50's and 60's - nostalgia really doesn't get any better than this.

This show and cast deserves to run and run ....

Sheffield Telegraph Review

REVIEW: Dreamboats and Petticoats, Lyceum TheatrePremium Article Published Date: 03 December 2009
By Sean Bruce

AFTER a highly successful run in the West End, there is always the fear that a show won't travel well to the provinces.
However, Dreamboats and Petticoats was both breathtaking at times and hilarious at others and gave a chance to marvel at some amazing songs from the golden era of rock n roll.

Set in 1961, when Kennedy became US president and the E type Jag was born, nostalgia may have drawn many of the mainly middle-aged audience but it definitely entertained the younger elements too.

Inspired by the million-selling albums of the same name, Dreamboats and Petticoats was made into a musical by Laurence Marks and Mark Gran of Goodbye Sweetheart and Birds Of a Feather fame.

The songs used are classic tracks from the likes of Orbison, Cochran, The Shadows and countless others.

The mix of humour and selection of songs to tell the story is a near-perfect fit and has the capacity audience singing and clapping along after the first few ice-breakers until nearly everyone is on their feet dancing at the finale.

The role of Norman is played by Jonathan Bremner of X Factor fame, whose impressive singing took the eye among an excellent cast.

One of many highlights is an interweaving of two songs, Runaway and Who's Sorry Now, sung at the same time with alternate lines, which sounds unlikely but works a treat. Why venture to London when Sheffield can draw shows of this quality ?

Milton Keynes Review

The link below is to the review from Milton Keynes that appeared in the Oxford Times.

Milton Keynes Review

Dreamboats and Petticoats, Regent Theatre, Hanley

Dreamboats And Petticoats Regent Theatre

THE lights went down, the curtain raised and there were quiffs, red lipstick-coated pouts, polka dots and rock 'n' roll gyrating hips galore. In no time at all pensioners were up in the aisles doing the twist.
Yes, Dreamboats And Petticoats, the celebration of the smash hit albums of the same name, has finally made it to the Regent Theatre, Hanley.

Set in 1961 the story is simple, a flashback of adolescent romance with a mix of rock 'n' roll. Most of the action takes place at St Mungo's youth club, with Bobby (Josh Capper) and Norman (Jonathan Bremner) competing to win a national song writing competition and the hearts of female fans.

Written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the team behind Goodnight Sweetheart and Birds Of A Feather, the production has a comedic element that perfectly suits its audience. And quips such as "There's no point living beyond your means. If everybody did that the country would be bankrupt" can be appreciated by all in wake of the recession.


However, the plot is entirely predictable and the dialogue acts as a series of song cues. This production is definitely a celebration of music rather than a writing masterpiece, and the vibrant backdrop and energetic and vocally talented cast are what bring it to life as opposed to the script.

Dreamboats And Petticoats provides an easy, undemanding and fantastically upbeat night out at the theatre, and the music of Roy Orbison, The Shadows and Billy Fury among many others comes thick and fast in 43 classic numbers.

Those who were teenagers back in 1961 dominated the audience, and the unashamed singing and dancing in the stalls showed these songs are still clearly imprinted on their minds.

But it doesn't matter what age you are, Dreamboats And Petticoats is feel good nostalgia at its best. If you're not dancing in the aisles by the end, you'll no doubt be smiling along with those who are.

Dreamboats And Petticoats runs at the Regent Theatre until Saturday. 0844 871 7649 for details.

Claire Walker

Dreamboats Review - Ilkeston Advertiser

Yet another good review for the touring cast of Dreamboats and Petticoats.

It's a joy to watch

submitted picture
A DREAM OF A SHOW: Dreamboats And Petticoats.

Published Date: 08 October 2009

By John Shawcroft

Would-be pop star Bobby has two ambitions at St Mungo's Youth Club in Essex – to make the big time and impress the local siren, the gorgeous Sue.

The first is nipped in the bud by the arrival of Norman, not the best choice of names for a teen idol but one which nevertheless gives rise to the group Norman and the Conquests.

Then, when the flash newcomer moves in on Sue, Bobby's tale of woe seems complete.

But waiting in the wings is his best mate's 15-year-old sister Laura, plain, bespectacled – and a songwriter who shows every promise of becoming the 1961 version of Cathy Dennis.

The pair team up to enter a national songwriting competition and so the tale of Dreamboats and Petticoats unfolds at Nottingham's Theatre Royal this week.

This jukebox musical by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran is based on the best-selling albums Dreamboats and Petticoats and if the plot is slight it is an absolute joy of a show with more than 40 numbers from the pre-Beatles era performed live.

They are given a fresh lease of life by this talented cast and the uncertainties, fun and misunderstandings of being a teenager in that innocent age are brilliantly captured.

Dreamboats and Petticoats is showing at the Theatre Royal until Saturday.

• Last Updated: 08 October 2009 4:33 PM
• Source: Ilkeston Advertiser

Nottingham Press Review

Hi Guys below is a link to the review in "This is Nottingham".

Thought I'd highlight the last paragraph for you......

TV fans may recognise X-Factor finalist Jonathan Bremner in the part of Norman, and I'd Do Anything finalist Francesca Jackson as Sue. Both make the up-tempo rockers and haunting ballads sound remarkably fresh, as do the rest of the young and energetic company.


Nottingham Press Review

Belfast Review - The Ulster Star

Dreamboats and Petticoats takes Belfast back to the swinging sixties


Published Date:
29 September 2009
By Stacey Heaney

COME on everybody! Belfast went back to the swinging sixties last night (Monday) as Dreamboats and Petticoats began its run in the Grand Opera House.
Going back to the golden era of music, when British teens were influenced by the Rock 'n' Roll produced by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly and when Billy Fury was sending people Halfway to Paradise, Dreamboats and Petticoats combines music and comedy to produce one of the best shows around.

The cast of Dreamboats and Petticoats take the audience back to the swinging sixties at the Grand Opera House.


Filled with hit after hit played and sung live on stage, which had the audience singing and clapping along, Dreamboats and Petticoats was full of genuinely laugh-out-loud moments and the sweetness of youth when being in a 'group' and falling in love were all that mattered.

Beginning in a dusty attic, we find an older Bobby (Peter Gerald) and his granddaughter going through long forgotten belongings, when Bobby finds his precious Fender electric guitar and we learn of his fifteen minutes of fame when he was the lead singer in a group.

Stepping back into 1961, we see a younger Bobby (Josh Capper) belting out Let's Dance as he auditions at St. Mungo's Church of England Youth Club for a place in the group. His fifteen minutes of fame are soon over however, when he is quickly upstaged by the older, brasher Norman (Jonathan Bremner) who takes over the group, quickly renamed Norman and the Conquests, with his performance of The Wanderer.

Bobby and Norman are soon competing again, however, as Norman sets his sights on Sue (Francesca Jackson), the girl of Bobby's dreams. And when a songwriting competition is announced Bobby teams up with Laura (Lauren Hood), the little sister of his best friend Ray (Wayne Smith), to win the dream prize and capture Sue's heart.

However, his plan quickly changes as he develops feelings for Laura along the way, and young Bobby agonises over just how to tell Laura he loves her.

Written by Marks and Gran, the team behind Goodnight Sweetheart and Birds Of A Feather, plenty of laughs were guaranteed, and Josh Capper, who graduated from Liverpool Theatre School in 2006 receiving the award for Most Promising Graduate, delivered not only a stunning vocal performance but he showed a fine acting talent, shining as the likeable Bobby.

Each member of the talented cast delivered fantastic performances, with Lauren Hood (Carousel), Wayne Smith (Grease is the Word), Francesca Jackson (I'd Do Anything), Jonathan Bremner (X Factor) and the members of the Conquests, many of whom starred in the Buddy Holly Story, delivering wonderful vocal performances and showing their superb musical ability.

With hits such as Bobby's Girl, Runaway, It's Only Make Believe, Do You Wanna Dance?, Dream Lover, Only The Lonely, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and Dreamboats and Petticoats, written by Jason Donovan, Dreamboats and Petticoats is a show not to be missed. Feel-good and toe-tapping, it is perfect for the whole family and you'll come out of the theatre wanting to sing and dance the night away.

Dreamboats and Petticoats continues at the Grand Opera House until Saturday (October 3). For further information please visit www.goh.co.uk.

First Review of The New Tour

Below is a link to the first review of the tour

A reasonable review but my favourite paragraph is below;

Francesca Jackson, a finalist in the BBC’s I’d Do Anything, captures the era in her role as the vampish Sue and is given plenty of opportunities to show off her powerful voice.

Looking good for those going to see the production

Coventry Telegraph Review

Steve Burbridge Can Smile Without The Show

A review thats about as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party, from Steve, reads like he was as happy as a fish in the desert


But hey for those fans of the show and the cast it's worth reading (as long as you take it with a pinch of salt) to make you laugh especially at how seriously Steve took the show instead of the way it was intended to be taken -



I'm sure the cast would like to see him up doing the show......... Then they could get there own back



Anyone got any tomatos they want to through I suggest Steve for the stocks.



Steve Burbridge Review (if you can call it That more like a Rant

Apologise to the cast but as I say it's worth a reading for a laugh....... Fran and co We love you and love the show unlike Steve

Darlington First Review

Can’t Smile Without You, Darlington Civic Theatre
11:46am Wednesday 26th November 2008

CHESNEY Hawkes has been out of the spotlight since his 1991 smash hit, The One and Only, writing and producing music and touring with his band, and this musical, featuring 27 of Barry Manilow’s songs, could be the big break he’s waited all this time for.

The plot involves five British lads who go to New York to audition and meet Jeff, a glitzy showbiz entrepreneur (a nice comic turn from Howard Samuels). Jeff’s very taken with Chesney Hawkes’ character, imaginatively named Tony Lowiman (geddit?) but he wants to send the rest of the band home. Following a weekend spent solo at Jeff’s home, Tony strikes up a relationship with Mandy, but waiting at home is his fiancée Lucy, who’s really in love with his best friend Scott.
All’s well in the end, of course, and there are frequent breaks for Barry Manilow’s polished, schmaltzy pop. The band and the vocals are excellent, although I was a little concerned that Hawkes’ voice might not hold up. Manilow’s range is considerable and Hawkes is nearing the end of the tour and it shows. If Bill Kenwright takes Can’t Smile Without You into the West End as planned, Hawkes is going to have to look after those vocal chords.

Even if you’re not a fan of Manilow, he’s written so many decent pop songs it’s hard not to like at least some of them.

Hawkes lacks the charisma required for a romantic lead, but he’s a likeable chap and he sings well.

■ Until Saturday. Box Office: 01325-486555