Dreamboats and Petticoats at the New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham Review
Reviewed by Emma Legge
The first thing I did when I was given this review was text my friend with two questions: a) Are you free Tuesday 2nd May? B) Do you like musicals? And those really are the only two prerequisites needed to warrant you booking tickets for this show!
We went along with no prior knowledge of the show nor its storyline. It’s not a show I would have seen advertised and immediately have wanted to go to and that’s purely as I just hadn’t heard much about it. After watching this show I now want to shout its virtues from the rooftops and insist any musical loving people go and see it at least once!
The show is set in 1961 and follows Bobby, Ray, Laura, Sue, Donna and Norman in their visits to their youth club, their love of music, their adolescent crushes and first flourishes of love. If you like Rock ‘n’ Roll then you’re in for a treat with a magnificent soundtrack that gets you clicking your fingers and tapping your toes right from the start. The music is all performed live on stage by many members of the cast, from drums and piano to saxophones being danced around on stage! The quality of the performances was extremely high and it was quite breathtaking to watch and to listen to.
Highlights were the performances by the cast as a whole and particularly the key members. Elizabeth Carter who plays Laura was highly engaging to watch and to listen to, Laura Darton plays her role of flirty and feisty Sue fantastically and all the lead males are worthy of note but Jimmy Johnston (Older Bobby) and Mike Lloyd (Frank/Slugger) rather stole the show with their inspired mix of singing, performance, comedy and simply looking like they were both having a jolly good time up there!
We loved how as the show went on, the interaction encouraged by the cast with the audience increased and by the end we were all on our feet clapping, twisting and in some cases jiving – I feel and sound like I’ve been to a jolly good and loud party!
I feel I must also mention the little gem of a theatre that is the New Alexandra Theatre. This was, for both of us, our first visit to the Alex so we followed guidance from their website for parking, which was ample and easy. The staff were all very friendly from arrival to us leaving. The décor of the drinks area is beautifully done and a special addition to our evening was the young man playing the piano both before the show and during the interval, it added to the occasion of the night beautifully and set the ambience of the area perfectly. I will most definitely be visiting this theatre again.
As to the show, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting, it’s on at the New Alexandra until Saturday 6th May with matinee and evening performances and I guarantee you’ll come out swinging your hips, toe tapping and humming ‘Do You Wanna Dance?’! I will definitely be booking to see this show again and can’t wait to take my musical loving teenage daughter.
A toe tapping, hip swinging, finger clicking 5 out of 5!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £16.90 to £41.90 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Dreamboats and Petticoats is at the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 2-6 May 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/birmingham or call the box office on 0844 871 3011.
New Alexandra Theatre, Suffolk Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS
