THE DRIFTERS GIRL PRODUCTION TEAM ON PUTTING FAYE TREADWELL INTO THE SPOTLIGHT
Having made its world premiere at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2021, followed by nightly standing ovations at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End, The Drifters Girl, the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups, returns to Newcastle Theatre Royal Tue 14 – Sat 18 Nov 2023.
Save The Last Dance For Me, Under The Boardwalk and Saturday Night At The Movies gave The Drifters huge hits on both sides of the Atlantic. Yet, despite selling more than 200 million singles and 100 million albums worldwide, relatively little was known about the vocal group’s history, and before The Drifters Girl musical, even less was known about Faye Treadwell – the woman who (alongside her husband George) helped turn them into a global phenomenon.
Producer Michael Harrison, originally from Wallsend, whose current productions include The Bodyguard, The Wizard of Oz, Crazy For You and Annie, as well as Newcastle Theatre Royal’s annual pantomime, had heard all the hits and was intrigued by the narrative behind songs including Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies and Stand By Me but admitted he “didn’t know very much about the group or about Faye herself.”
“When I tracked down her daughter Tina, I told her that I’d love to create a musical about The Drifters and she was the one who said, ‘If you’re gonna tell the story of the group, you really wanna tell the story of my mother’.” He smiles. “I thought ‘I’m sure you would say that’ but then I heard Faye’s story and realised that Tina was right.”
Against all odds, Faye became the leading black, female record producer of the time and relocated the The Drifters to the UK in the early 1970’s, tapping into a new market and giving them another 20 years of hits.
“None of us ever met Faye and we didn’t know what kind of a personality she was, so we needed Tina to give us a little bit of that meat on the bone.” Michael notes. “There are some explosive moments in the show which are about the boys, but at the heart of it is this extraordinary woman.”
The Drifters Girl opened in 2021 with Beverley Knight in the lead and Michael was confident that he had a hit on his hands. “Beverley attached herself to the show very early on, so when I went to West End theatre owners and said ‘I’ve got Beverley Knight in a musical with the soundtrack of The Drifters’ it was quite an easy sell. And when it opened the audiences were brilliant and we had people coming back again and again.”
On the UK tour, Michael is excited for audiences to see Carly Mercedes Dyer as Faye Treadwell. “We’re really lucky to get her,” he says of the Olivier Award nominee for Anything Goes. “You need a powerhouse vocalist in the role as well as a great actress, and Carly is both.”
In the original production Matt Henry (Olivier award winner for Kinky Boots) played Clyde McPhatter, who was among The Drifters’ founding members back in the early 1950s. For the tour he’s the associate director, working in tandem with director Jonathan Church in helping restage the show for regional theatres as well as rehearsing the new cast.
He was fascinated by Faye as “such a force within the music industry” and also by discovering songs that he knew from parties and weddings were by the group. “As we were putting the show together, and I realised, ‘Oh, that’s a Drifters song’ and ‘Wow, that’s also a Drifters song’.”
Once it was up and running he was thrilled by audience reactions
As the show heads out on the road, Matt is confident theatregoers around the country will be equally nostalgic, entertained and intrigued. “They are guaranteed a great night out and I’m sure they’ll enjoy the trip down memory lane. It’s such a fun, exciting show and The Drifters are such an iconic group. Their music is still so beloved.”
Most of the group numbers are done as performances, as The Drifters would have done in concert or the studio, whereas Faye’s songs express what she’s thinking or feeling. “So, we’ve taken several musical forms and found our own unique way of blending music with storytelling,” director Jonathan Church notes.
With great music incorporated in ingenious ways, he promises: “Audiences are in for a great time. It’s a celebration of the music of The Drifters along with an incredibly rich, dramatic story. Faye was such a trailblazer and what I hope the show does is tell a story that a lot of people don’t know with a lot of great music that they know really well.”
When asked what he sees as the band’s legacy, Jonathan marvels: “An extraordinary number of songs over many decades that when you hear them, they bring a smile to your face or remind you of a certain moment… but I think the most extraordinary thing about them is Faye Treadwell’s role in their success. With The Drifters Girl I’m glad to see her in the spotlight.”
The Drifters Girl plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tue 14 – Sat 18 Nov 2023. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.