From comedy writers Lawrence Marks and Maurice Gran, of Birds of a Feather, Shine on Harvey Moon, Goodnight Sweetheart fame; comes a nostalgic musical combining the sounds of the 1960s with an enthusiastic young cast.
It seems the creators behind the critically acclaimed jukebox musical Dreamboats and Petticoats have tapped into a niche in the market for a retro 1960s score and their newest release delivers something of the same flavour.
Save The Last Dance For Me is a joyful celebration of the rock and roll hits by Doc Martin and Mort Shuman; featuring the hit made popular by Ben E King and The Drifters as its title.
A jumpy opening reveals the plotline of two sisters embarking on their first holiday away from their parents – on a caravanning trip to Lowestoft. A romance quickly develops between the youngest sister, Marie, and black US airforce engineer Curtis.
There are a few dodgy accents, but the humour cleverly centres on the American versus English pronunciations with “Lowiestoft” and several one-liners getting loud laughs from the audience.
Most importantly the talented cast sing the songs with the pop that made them popular; with a harmonic a cappella of Sweets For My Sweet and a stand-out performance by former S Club Junior Jay Perry (Rufus).
The jiving at times is a bit limp however the choreography ensures there is a lot of swirling of petticoats.
All in all Save The Last Dance For Me is a feel-good musical that will have you singing on the way home. Check out the picture gallery above.
CATHERINE WATTS
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