Another toe-tapping, sing-along musical has dropped into Manchester.
The Drifters Girl, based on the story of the woman behind one of the world’s most enduring R&B groups, is playing to packed out theatres and visited Manchester Opera House recently.
The story centres on Faye Treadwell, who married the manager of the Drifters, George Treadwell, and took over the management of the group when he died.
It follows her as she encounters racism, sexism and legal battles as she struggles to keep the name of the Drifters, the changing faces and the group going throughout the years.
She was a strong women in a music world dominated by men. The musical shows how she put everything aside to concentrate on building the Drifters’ name in America and in the UK.
The story is told through Faye recalling her life to her daughter Tina, with Tina constantly questioning what her parents did in the past.
The role of Faye Treadwell was played by understudy Loren Anderson on the night I visited the Opera House, and while she give it her all, I thought there was a bit lacking in her depiction of Faye. Her vocal ability was not as strong as it could have been, though the actors who played the very many roles of the Drifters more than made up for it.
This is where it turned a bit chaotic. Throughout the years there have been more then 60 different vocalists in The Drifters - this was relayed on stage by just a handful of men playing all the various roles.
It was a bit confusing as one singer switched into another, though none of it deflected from the outstanding singing voices of the cast of Miles Anthony Daley, Ashford Campbell, Tarik Frimpong, and Dalton Harris.
This quartet brought the timeless tunes of the Drifters to life - and this was definitely the best part of the show. At times it felt like you were at a real life concert - with the audience singing and dancing along to such songs as Come On Over To My Place, Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies, Saturday Night At The Movies, Save The Last Dance For Me, Stand By Me, Sweets For My Sweet, There Goes My Baby, Under The Boardwalk and You’re More Than A Number In My Little Red Book.
The musical was played out on a sparse stage with mood lighting changing to reflect the different times from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
The packed out Opera House loved it and it is certainly one to catch, especially for the uplifting songs from a bygone era.
review by Lisa Burns
