The Drifters Girl at Milton Keynes Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Zoey Caldwell
Last night I was fortunate enough to experience the Drifters Girls show at Milton Keynes theatre. I went into the show not knowing the complex history of the band that created such classics as Under the Boardwalk. Immediately, the show transports the audience back in time, to the start of what we now would refer to a boy band. Cleverly styled and choreographed, four incredibly talented singers kicked off the show pitch perfect and committed to entertaining the highest standard throughout the evening. Before the show I knew a few songs from The Drifters so was looking forward to educating myself further with their hits but I was blown away with the history of the band and the amazing courage and tenacity of Faye Treadwell (Loren Anderson).
The Drifters Girl very cleverly intertwines the complicated history, adds incredible humour and at times tugs at your heartstrings with heartbreak and the premature death of Rudy Lewis. The show addresses despite the huge success of the band the difficulties of being black and the prejudices that they faced at every turn, however as the title of the show is The Drifters Girl it celebrates the grit and determination of Faye Treadwell, in an era when not only being black meant you were judged but a black woman with no prior experience in the male run music industry. Faye took on the men, the sexism and being served and won. Loren Anderson absolutely blew us away, her voice is next level! She absolutely nailed the vocals and owned the stage whenever she was there! The male members of the cast seamlessly roll into different roles and there are some very interesting and funny role changes to look out for. Individually Miles Anthony Daley ( George Treadwell & others), Ethan Davis ( Ben E. KIng, Rudy Lewis and others), Tarik Frimpong (Clyde McPhatter, Lover Patterson and others) and Dalton Harris (Johnny Moore, Gerhart Thrasher and others) are fabulous.
I personally was looking forward to Stand by Me and Ethan Davis NAILED it! For me that song is an iconic reminder of the movie of the same name, and I loved listening to Davis sing it. There were a couple of sound issues with Davis’s microphone during the show, but they were dealt with seamlessly and Davis demonstrated the show must go on and just continued with his singing. For me the entire cast were faultless, this show is polished, and the actors/actress’s actually look like they are enjoying their time on stage. This is infectious, the woman that I sat next to I would say was being transported back to her youth, her face radiated happiness and she was looked like she loved every minute. If the actors are making the audience as happy as her then they are doing a brilliant job.
Every male member of the cast plays more than one character and therefore they all get their moment to shine, and I did not hear a bum note or see a choreograph mess up. Individually and collectively each cast member, member of the orchestra and production staff need to be completely proud of what they have achieved. At the end of the show the cast sing a medley and the audience were up on their feet, dancing, singing and clapping along, an accolade that shows the cast just how much their talent was appreciated. Toe tapping, heart string pulling and laugh out loud moments mean that this show could only score a 5/5.
Milton Keynes theatre is located in in the theatre district amongst a variety of venues to eat and drink prior to the show. It is a modern theatre, with an open plan lobby area, places to purchase a variety of drinks and snacks. The staff are extremely smart and polite- I did feel that there was an overzealous usher that homed in on the woman next to me and shone a light on her for clapping- I was sitting next to her, her clapping was more tapping hands together to the beat and a show of how much she was enjoying the show- not noisy, not distracting and honestly I felt sad for her, I understand the need to ensure that the show is a success for everyone but I honestly feel that it was too much. The toilets were busy during the interval but were clean and well maintained. I really do enjoy a visit to Milton Keynes theatre.
Rating: 5/5
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-drifters-girl/milton-keynes-theatre/
Ticket costs from £13.00 plus £3.50 transaction fee
The Drifters Girl is at Milton Keynes Theatre from: 24th October 2023 to “28th October 2023 for more information visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-drifters-girl/milton-keynes-theatre/ or call the box office on 020 7206 1174.
Milton Keynes Theatre, 500 Marlborough Gate, Central Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK9 3NZ