The Jack Studio Theatre- until Saturday 4th November 2023
Reviewer Alec Legge
5*****
Off to the Award winning, Best Pub Theatre of the year 2023, the Jack Studio Theatre, in Brockley, SE4. To see this new musical on a dark stormy night, quite a trek from where I was staying in Richmond. Would it be worth it?
On entering the lovely Jack Pub we had drinks and then into the theatre which was small but fully equipped with a stage on which a four man band were ready to play, a performance area in front of the stage and ranks of seats facing the performance area, A nice, intimate small theatre.
The band started the show performing a set of rock and roll numbers bass – Ken Cooke, drums – Kevin Wiremu, keyboard – Dan Patterson and guitar – Rob Hinton. What a talented bunch, the music they made was excellent and they alone were worth listening to. I understand they are also jazz performers separately and together who regularly perform in jazz clubs so jazz fans look out for them.
The storyline of the play was that Danny, Michael Gillett, and his close friend Billy, Niall Hemingway, were on a quest to to find the father Danny had never met after receiving a mysterious invitation to a rock and roll event at a seedy venue. The father apparently was an itinerant rock and roll performer who disappeared after a one night stand with Danny’s mother leaving her with a baby to raise without him.
At the show Danny firstly mistakenly identifies the wrong singer as his father but with the arrival of his mother, Kathryn Haywood, and his real father John, Tim French also the author, he is persuaded otherwise.
The comedy was uproarious and the songs were all original and blasted out in rock and roll style with a nod to the real Elvis. The finale was really enjoyable rip-roaringly funny and the music and singing stupendous.
A really enjoyable and entertaining musical which is well worth seeing by all but especially for rock and roll fans.
Although this run finishes 4 November please look out for it in the future because I’m sure we will see it playing again.