A beautiful blast from the past with the potential for greatness.
Direct from its run in the West End, The Drifters Girl has embarked on a major UK & Ireland tour landing this week in Edinburgh to captivate audiences night after night with electrifying performances and an unforgettable soundtrack. Nominated for BEST NEW MUSICAL at the 2022 Olivier Awards, this acclaimed show delivers a compelling narrative intertwined with the timeless hits of The Drifters.
From the moment the curtain rises, audiences are transported into the vibrant and ever changing landscape of The Drifters. The audience is guided through the narrative by Faye Treadwell, herself, the legendary manager who shaped the destiny of the iconic group. A decades-long odyssey set against the backdrop of overwhelming successes, harrowing legal battles and multiple personal tragedies, The Drifters Girl unveils the true story behind the tenacious woman who dedicated her life to the group in every iteration and her fight to maintain its legacy.
Unsurprisingly, what truly sets this production apart is its phenomenal soundtrack, packed full of iconic Drifters hits that have stood the test of time. From the infectious rhythm of “Saturday Night At The Movies” to the soulful strains of “Save The Last Dance For Me” and the timeless classic “Stand By Me,” every song is performed with precision and passion, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience. The musical talent in the show cannot be praised highly enough. Each performer demonstrated a deep connection to the music and the narratives that informed the music across its many decades.
Unfortunately, this production was far from perfect. With wildly disjointed writing that set the actors up for few opportunities to connect in any moment of dialogue, the story was hard to follow and believe. Few characters saw enough stage time to ground themselves in any meaningful connection with those around them, and the quick cycling through of characters resulted in some truly disastrous accent work. Coupled with poor and ill-fitting costume design that neglected the evolution in style from decade to decade, the audience was left with no sense of time and the actors often fighting their costumes to accommodate their movements. These factors contributed to an experience of unease throughout the work which left me waiting for when the narrative, separate from the music, was going to get good.
The performers were wonderful across the board and performed valiantly despite the many many pitfalls of the show. There was obvious care taken with the physical set design as the whole show was a visual masterpiece of lights and sound. The projections were spot on, and the shift from scene to scene was flawless if dizzying at times. This left me wishing the same care had been taken with other aspects of the show. Some of the scene work was engaging and captivating, but most felt under rehearsed and theatrically under supported. The juxtaposition of the beautiful music and the disconnected scenes was unsettling and jarring. The most surprising moment was the absolutely delightful medley that closed the show which left me physically turning to my neighbor to ask, “Where has this energy and connection to one another been throughout the rest of the show?”
The cast and production team performed with herculean effort to bring Faye Treadwell’s story to life with authenticity and depth, and it has the potential to be great with a few hard discussions about priorities. Overall, this show was disappointing and future iterations will require more of the care and tenderness that Faye showed The Drifters to remain relevant in the everchanging and ruthless fight for cultural relevance in the musical sphere.