Review: THE DRIFTERS GIRL, Garrick Theatre

Photo credit: Johan Persson

It's been anticipated for ages, but now it's finally here! The Drifters Girl is lighting up the Garrick Theatre until the end of March and if you're a fan of the Drifters music or want a fun night out, this one's for you, Besties!

The best show that we can compare it to is Jersey Boys, in that the cast members take on roles within the band and help to narrate the "behind the scenes" story of the drama that went on with Faye Treadwell fighting to keep rightful ownership over the Drifters Incorporated name. There are only six people in the cast but they do incredibly well to make it seem like there are so many more. Through a Come From Away-style change of jacket or hat, each actor plays at least 4+ roles throughout and is very believable in doing so.

Though it's Faye (the astonishing Beverly Knight) who's narrating, it's the Drifters who are the lifeblood of this piece: Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry MBE and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. What's special about this group of actors is they work brilliantly as a group, the harmonies are beautiful, but they also excel in their solos when one of them sings lead. A particular highlight being Tosh's rendition of ‘Stand By Me’, which even got a few people in our audience on their feet with well deserved applause. The cast have great comic timing as well. The show manages to be funny whilst also covering some quite hard hitting issues. Matt Henry, best known for playing Lola in Kinky Boots, definitely gets to bring some of that to one of his roles in Act Two that has people laughing!

Beverly Knight puts in an amazing performance as Faye. Right from her entrance, you know she's the one in charge here and that's what the story is all about - the little known story about how much she had to fight for her rightful ownership of the trademark. Besties, you already know that when she gets into a performance of a song, she is an unstoppable force of nature and The Drifters Girl is no exception.

The book could use a little work. If you are going into this with little knowledge of the Drifters outside of their discography, you may find it a little difficult to follow as the show moves so fast, it's hard to keep up. But the average audience isn't here for legal battles, they want the Drifters tunes, of which there are 25 in the show. Therefore we feel this show still delivers on its promise.

We also feel a need to point out that, while the show makes a big point, and rightly so, of being about an all POC cast and the characters make many references to white men stealing their music, it's slightly disappointing to see that when the curtain rises at the end of the show to reveal the band that 90% of them are white. The show could very much still do better on the diversity front, especially if it is in the very ethos of the production.

Putting this aside, a special mention needs to go to the production's Deputy Stage Manager Elaine Yeung, who cues Ben Cracknell's exceptional lighting design perfectly. Besties, this is no easy task for any show, but some numbers in The Drifters Girl are chock *full* of lighting and automation cues, and so well deserved of a mention in this review, as well as the whole stage management team. Congratulations on pulling this off.

The Drifters Girl is a wonderful night out, and is guaranteed to entertain. We'd definitely recommend it for the musical performances alone.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

The Drifters Girl is currently booking until 26 March 2022, with tickets available here.