Dreamboats and Petticoats

The opening night of this production of songs and dance in the years just before the Beatles and Stones was supported by those whose memories of those ‘rock n roll’ number were passionate and poignant. They were the sounds of those first sexual awakenings when hormones have an agenda the mind hardly understands. Some in the audience had lost their partners of those youthful days as they had taken the ‘Three Steps to Heaven.’ The cast to whom this era was a history lesson recreated the angst and energy and joyous yearning and yawing on the dance floor to the beat and rhythm of music that was made for dancing. Before the TV became addictive and long before play stations and computers the dance floor was the magnet for the movements that makes humans the tribe of shakers. A storyline weaved between the heartaches and urges of being a teenager linked the words and beats. The start was loud and familiar with Let’s Dance and with dance themes such as Do You Want to Dance and Let’s Twist Again to C’mon Everybody concluding with the audience in the Circle rows on their feet clapping and bopping to At The Hop - a ‘grey market’ was on the move swaying within their own comfortable ‘rock n roll’ concert venue. The warnings of the wild wondrous sensuous naughty strutting sexy folk we yearned to be were thrown on stage with The Wanderer and Jezebel and Little Town Flirt and Runaround Sue and Great Pretender. The tender touching soft and sad numbers choked on reminders deep in the mind To Know Him Is To Love Him and Bobby’s Girl and Only Sixteen. Over forty songs interconnected with wit such as a doubt that Coronation Street would last or that ‘ if everybody borrowed the country would be bankrupt’ which not only rocked the audience but ruptured the pensioners with tragic laughter. Never mind – It’s My Party. It was not a time of innocence for the War was a family momento even as post war austerity was evolving into consumerism with fun fairs and fashion and fast food outlets and cinemas absorbing savings by inciting spending. The youth club spirit cleverly stage managed seemed more than five musical generations ago with a fifty year gap over past and present theatre. The verve of the cast born after Falklands let alone Vietnam or Suez offered a return to seemingly simpler times when teenagers craved experience of enjoyment through the power of group dancing in public and furtive feelings with learning curves in darkened corners - before everyone had their own electronic music machines at home. Today’s teenager and their parent will find help with themselves and relationships even with their grand-parents for the story of growing up and mate staring and stalking and catching is still just the same. Pornography and Protest and Militancy and Motorways and Inflation and Recession and Travel and corrupt Politicians were features which this ‘beat generation’ would make their own and that is why Dream Baby Dream and Poetry in Motion and Teenager in Love brought regrets and remembrance as the tunes of times almost forgotten. The applause was from within and wobbly knees walked lighter on the way out than on the way in – young again.

David Hallmark, Malvern

Absolutely Fantastic, this show is just the tonic we need in the present troubled times. This is Feel good factor extraordinaire, the cast are wonderful, the music to die for, If you are 50+ plus this will take you back to those wonderful exciting years of your youth. If you are younger than that you will experience the early years of rock and roll and enjoy every minute of it. This Show is NOT to be Missed.

annette whittaker, malvern worcestershire

What can I say...................the show was simply BRILLIANT!! We were captured by the performance from start to finish. In fact we really did not want the show to end. Each and every member of the cast was outstanding during the whole of the show. On behalf of myself and our friends who attend the show with us, I would like to thank you all for such an entertaining and lively show, the atmosphere was electric. Good luck to all the cast for your forth coming shows. Kind Regards The Ashenden party.

GALE ASHENDEN, WORCESTER

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY EVER,BRILLIANT

David Folley

Just what was needed a treat for christmas and it was well worth it. It was so funny and some brilliant acting and fantastic voices from all the cast. The music played by the cast made the show rather than it being pre recorded, If this came back I would pay to watch it again it it was worth every penny even my 17 year old son loved it. Don't miss this show.

RACHEL BLANDFORD