Bringing on Back the Good Times
Back on tour with their smash hit mix of live music, great dancing and nostalgic costumes, the Dreamboats and Petticoats gang prove that 60's music can still get the blood pumping, the toes tapping and the hands clapping.
The story is still very much the same as previous incarnations; the boys are in a band - Norman and the Conquests - with aspirations of hitting the big time but in such a heavily saturated market, they need a break to really get noticed. Norman (Joe Lukehurst) believes he deserves to have star billing, the rest of the band feel he is the weak link in their strive for stardom. In particular Bobby (Jacob Fowler), singer, rhythm guitar and songwriter wants to 'do this properly'. Cue Laura (Elizabeth Carter - brilliant in the recent Rain Man tour), Bobby's girlfriend, who has already made it big and is spending more time in London. Laura arranges for music mogul and agent to the stars Larry (the timeless Mark Wynter) to come see the boys and hopefully give them the break they so desire.
There is a lot of 'boy meets girl', 'boy looses girl', 'boy wins girl back' throughout as the various couples ebb and flow through their relationships. There is also plenty of cheesy segues between songs with the minimal (and often nonsensical) lines of dialogue simply acting as the 'skip button' on the jukebox but none of this detracts from what is, still, a brilliant evening of Rock and Roll, 60's pop and great live music.
The main band are tight; Dan Kofi Wealthyland on drums, Alan Howell on acoustic guitar, Sheridan Lloyd on keys, Benji Lord on bass and Joe Stirling on electric guitar are brilliant at recreating the 60’s sound and vibe. Adding to this is possibly the element D&C are best known for – their brass section which packs more punch than a Mike Tyson in his prime; Mike Lloyd on trombone, Rob Gathercole on trumpet, Lauren Chinery on baritone sax and Chloe Edwards-Wood on tenor sax (I remember seeing Chloe begin her career in the original Dreamboats & Petticoats, she must have started real young).
Star billing, though by his modesty he may not accept it, must go to Mark Wynter – Mark brings a level of gravitas to the whole show, he oozes charm and charisma without any sense of effort and boy he can still sing his hits. Still making the ladies swoon and the men croon, Mark’s link to the original 60’s is the golden thread with which this show is spun.
Shout out to the costumes by Alexandra Stewart which brought some glitz and glamour to the 1960s music scene with characters walking around in picture perfect vintage clothing that conjured up an atmosphere of cool elegance both for the ladies and men.
All in all, a fun show, especially for the older members of the audience who were clearly reliving their memories of dare I say happier times.