Set in the early 60's this musical brings the holiday spirit of Lowestoft to your hometown. When two sisters take an unsupervised holiday to Lowestoft they find themselves attracted to a handsome American who invites them to dance at the American Air Force base. The simple story is set to what seemed like millions of songs (37, only three of which I recognised), all performed with enthusiasm and heaps of energy. It's not my era but it's safe to say much of the audience were of a reminiscent age.
All eyes were on Hannah Frederick who brought so much to the stage with her portrayal of Jennifer, the elder sister. Her smile alone was enough to fill the stage. Full of energy and excitement, a truly talented actress. AJ Dean as Milton proved to be right at home in this style of performance giving great renditions of Viva Las Vegas, Way Down Yonder In New Orleans and is and asset to the show. Tosh Wanogho-Maud as Rufus provided the show with incredible vocals - a very broad vocal range! Graham Weaver's Italian from Wolverhampton - Carlos was a humorous addition. We thought perhaps Carlos changed hometown to suit the venue each week, apparently not, and he coped well performing with a Wolverhampton accent in front of a home audience. Megan Jones has a beautiful voice and made a cute Marie.
The actor-musicians were all incredible - Christine Holman, Harry Myers, Dan Church, Chris Coxon, Robert Dalton, Marc McBride, and Michael Pave.
Bill Deamer's choreography was cheesy and fun and Mark Bailey's set was simple yet accurate.
No big-name TV personalities in this production, and it doesn't need it. The cast carry the show perfectly. It is what it is, it's not serious, it's cheesy and with the age of the music it's not for everyone. The show however is definitely worth a light-hearted, fun evening out.
The show runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday (2nd June) and has only four venues left of a UK tour finishing on 28th July.
(With AJ Dean)
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