New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 9 July 2022
Reviewed by Lorna Hancock
4****
Presented by Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield, Bringing on Back the Good Times is the third in a series Dreamboats and Petticoats Jukebox musicals. We see Bobby, Laura, Sue, Norman and the gang get back together, for a follow on story based around the hits from the million selling Dreamboats and Petticoats albums. Laura (Elizabeth Carter) now has a successful solo career, but Bobby (Jacob Fowler) her partner on their number one hit record ‘Dreamboats and Petticoats‘ has left the spotlight and decided to re-join his former group Norman and The Conquests at St Mungo’s Youth Club.
With the book by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran and musical production by Keith Strachen, Bringing on Back the Good Times is packed with some of rock ’n’ rolls greatest hits of the 50s and 60s.
With very fond memories of seeing the first Dreamboats and Petticoats musical back when it first came out, I was extremely excited to have the chance to review the latest instalment. I have to say, the first half was quite slow to get going and I was worried I would be leaving disappointed. However the second half started with a bang and filled the audience with the same nostalgic party feeling as the original and soon had everyone in the audience clapping along and dancing in their seats.
The set is simple but very effective. The storyline is the bare minimum to string the songs together. The thing that stands out most in the show is the very strong cast, their vocal range and the impressive harmonies they achieved in every song performed. Along with the dancing having all of the instruments played live on stage makes the show a real treat for the eyes as well as the ears.
Jacob Fowler gave a very touching performance as Bobby, and I think Joseph Lukehurst as Norman made the ladies in the front row blush with dance moves to rival Elvis. All of the musical numbers were brilliant, but two that stand out for me are Lauren Anderson-Oakley’s powerful performance of ‘I just don’t know what to do with myself’ and a magnificent rendition of Blue Moon by the full cast, and what a treat it was to have Mark Wynter performing a medley of his own songs. The script was witty, and David Bensons impression of Kenneth Williams had the whole theatre laughing with his short ditty ‘I love a foreign tongue’.
My personal highlight was the spectacular Megamix finale, which had the full company singing, dancing and playing instruments on stage, in a brilliantly choreographed routine that definitely succeeded in ‘Bringing on back the good times’.