Date Reviewed: 21st April, 2009
Venue: The Opera House

Dreamboats And Petticoats is inspired by two hit albums of the same name, in a production by Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield in association with the record label Universal Music. 

Throw into the mix the book by well known sit-com writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran of Birds Of A Feather and Shine On Harvey Moon fame, and you have a show which does what it says on the tin. As if this were not enough excitement, Manchester’s very own Scott Bruton, one of last year’s X Factor contestants, heads the cast.

Too many cooks though seem to spoil the musical broth as the slim concept, with its all singing and all dancing interludes seems to want to please everyone. This is a tale of young love with a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack as singers, Norman (Ben Freeman) and Bobby (Bruton) compete to win the hearts of their adoring female fans. In turn, they attempt to engage  the audience by wooing you with the hits of the day, including: “The Wanderer”, “In Dreams” and “Poetry In Motion.”

Dreamboats works if you simply want to sit back and listen to some great golden oldies. The cast deliver these iconic musical numbers well, including Freeman who is simply brilliant, in terms of vocal ability and performance. Who knew that this ex Emmerdale star would be a natural musical theatre performer? Less impressive is Jennifer Biddall as the “Runaround Sue” character. Saddled with an underwritten role, she also fails to hit the heights vocally, when required.

Likewise, Bruton lacks solid stage presence and although he can sing very well, often his intonation is sometimes way off. He also reverts to ‘Frank Spencer’ mode when trying to convey the comedic elements of the plot, which proves irritating after a while.

Emma Hatton delivers standout vocals, nailing each and every song, and proves to be truly deserving of better roles in the future. Likewise Daisy Wood-Davis is totally believable as Laura. This bright young talent could be a regular fixture on the touring/West End circuit if this excellent performance is anything to go by. AJ Dean also impresses both during his musical numbers and via his spot-on comic timing.

The book is thin and at times so slight, that you do wish for the piece to become a straightforward concert as these elements work brilliantly. Having musicians on stage, acting, singing and performing does add an authentici touch to the show.

Bob Tomson‘s direction lacks the energy that the songs themselves bring, as the first half is very slow paced, bar the final 20 minutes. Things do pick up in the second half but Carole Todd‘s limited choreography does not help, as it is too sparse to impress or move the narrative forward. Sean Cavanagh‘s set needs a revolve, as it too brings the pace to a halt.

But, despite these flaws, there are two very good reasons for seeing Dreamboats; to hear these classic tunes and to see Freeman, Wood-Davis, Dean and Hatton lift the flimsy concept and breathe life into it, as a result of their versatile vocals and outstanding turns.

-Glenn Meads

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 5:54 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.