Many years ago. when I was a young man in the 1980s, Faye Treadwell sent me and a couple of mates on a spying mission. Not for state secrets but to see if an ex-Drifter was performing The Drifters catalogue and billing himself as a Drifter now that he had gone solo. It's a long story which I won't bother with here, but was a memorable encounter with the Drifters girl herself, and proof she was a tough cookie where business was concerned. Now a full blown West End musical pays homage to Faye Treadwell, and her pioneering fight for her intellectual property.
For those who might not be aware, The Drifters were pop sensations from the 1950s until their chart run ended in the 1970s. However, it wasn't plain sailing. Contract and billing disputes meant that The Drifters were a revolving door of performers. Clyde McPhatter had started the original group in 1953, but then George Treadwell became their manager a couple of years later and when McPhatter demanded a larger share of the profits, there was a parting of the ways. McPhatter sold his share of the group to Treadwell and the group continued without him. Treadwell kept the group members on low money so they came and went with alarmingly regularity. When he died, wife Faye became sole curator of The Drifters name and legacy. Until Clyde McPhatter appeared back on the scene with his own version of The Drifters group. Thats when the legal disputes started between the two which went on for many years. Faye fought tooth and nail to stop the breakway Drifters, and the fact that she was a black woman meant that few took her seriously in what was very much a mans world. But there was steel in Faye and when the US hits dried up, she took the group to England where there were a whole new spate of Drifters chart hits recorded in the 1970s. Eventually, Faye did win a landmark court case giving her clear ownership of The Drifters name and paved the way for many other groups to be recognised as the legal owners of their brand.
Only now are Faye Treadwell's achievements becoming recognised. And this corker of a musical demonstrates the highs and lows of her journey. There is a core cast of five performers who bring all the characters to life, plus a younger cast member who plays Treadwell's sometimes overlooked daughter Tina (one of the producers of the show). Top billing goes to the amazing Beverley Knight, whose voice could stop the traffic in Piccadilly Circus. But she is more than just a big voice, her acting skills are spot on with an accent that gives her portrayal much credibility. She is a star turn in every sense. But so are the four guys she is sharing a stage with. Adam J. Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry (MBE) and Tosh Wanogho-Maud are a sensation. Each play key Drifters personnel and all the characters they encounter on the way. They also possess stunning voices, which blended together produce that unique Drifters vocal sound. The show is wall to wall hits: Under The Boardwalk, Kissin' In The Back Row Of The Movies, Save The Last Dance For Me, You're More Than A Number In My Little Red Book... the list just goes on and on. You'll be humming the songs long after you have left the theatre. Beverley's Harlem Child is a highlight but it seems churlish to pick out individuals when the singing is as strong as this. However, Wanogho-Maud's portrayal of tragic closet homosexual Rudy Lewis is a an example of the fine characterisation at work in this show. Dara Ajagbe played young Tina at the performance I attended, and she was excellent but you get the feeling that perhaps she had more to offer if she had been allowed to.
It has to be said, the show is a bit light on plot. Drifters come and go, George dies, Faye goes to England just about sums it up. But when the performances are as good as this, then all other matters can be forgiven. And lets not forget Musical Director Will Stuart and his band of eight killer musicians who bring the soul sound of the records to a thrilling live setting. Director Joanthan Church and choreographer Karen Bruce immerse us in the entertainment scene of the 1950s onwards and the slickly choreographed routines of The Drifters themselves are replicated superbly.
Jukebox musicals have always worried me because they can be so hit and miss, but this one is here to stay I should think. Quality will out and this has it in spades. It will clearly be Drifting for years to come.
Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre
Afterthought:
I was a little worried because of I read horror reports of the behaviour of audience members at the Garrick Theatre, and there were signs warning of anti social behaviour enterting the auditorium. Then when the row in front turned up with wine glasses and a carraffe of prosecco I was on red alert. They were not too distracting but still very much in my eyeline jigging about. If the theatre allows alcohol in the auditorium like some northern working mans club, then they are going to attract unreasonable behaviour. And the rest of us can stay away. It's up to the theatre owners.
Further details on the show can be found at THE DRIFTERS GIRL WEBSITE
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