The Drifters Girl is a jukebox musical with a book by Ed Curtis based on an idea by Tina Treadwell. It is based on the story of the American vocal group The Drifters and their manager from 1967 until 2001, Faye Treadwell. The musical features The Drifters' music.
| The Drifters Girl | |
|---|---|
| Music | Various |
| Lyrics | Various |
| Book | Ed Curtis Tina Treadwell (idea) |
| Basis | Story and music of The Drifters |
| Premiere | 9 October 2021: Theatre Royal, Newcastle |
| Productions | 2021 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2021 West End |
Production history
editWorld premiere: Newcastle tryout & West End (2021-22)
editThe musical made its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle on 9 October, running until 23 October 2021 prior to a run in London's West End at the Garrick Theatre from 4 November 2021 until 26 March 2022. The production is directed by Jonathan Church with a set designed by Anthony Ward, costumes by Faye Fullerton, choreographed by Karen Bruce, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall, and music direction by Chris Egan.[1] The show is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian. Beverley Knight stars as Faye Treadwell with Adam J. Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud as The Drifters who also co-created the musical.[2] The musical was originally announced in November 2019 to open in September 2020, however was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
The production received two Laurence Olivier Award nominations in 2022, for Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical.[4] Knight also received a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for her performance.[5]
The World Premiere Cast Recording for the musical was recorded by Knight, Bernard, Callender, Henry and Wanogho-Maud at Abbey Road Studios and was released on 6 May 2022.[6]
Knight played her final two shows as Faye Treadwell on 2 July 2022 and was succeeded by Broadway actress Felicia Boswell in her West End debut.[7]
UK and Ireland tour (2023-24)
editA UK and Ireland tour was announced to begin at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton in September 2023, with dates until May 2024.
Musical numbers
editThe musical features songs made famous by The Drifters including;
- "Hello Happiness"/"Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies"/"There Goes My First Love" – The Drifters
- "Money Money" – Clyde
- "Follow Me" – Faye
- "Whatcha Gonna Do" – Clyde, Johnny and Ben
- "Fools Fall in Love" – Clyde
- "Nobody But Me" – Faye
- "Save The Last Dance For Me" – Ben
- "This Magic Moment" – Ben
- "Stand By Me" – Ben
- "Sweets for My Sweet" – Ben
- "I Don't Wanna Go On Without You"/"Stand By Me" – Faye
- "Saturday Night At The Movies" – Johnny
- "There Goes My Baby" – George
- "When My Little Girl Is Smiling" – Clyde
- "Under The Boardwalk" – Ben
- "In the Land of Make Believe" – Clyde and Ben
- "Harlem Child" – Faye
- "Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies" – Johnny
- "There Goes My First Love" – Johnny
- "Come On Over To My Place" – Johnny
- "There Goes My Baby" (reprise) – Faye and George
- "You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book" – Faye and The Drifters
Cast and characters
edit| Character | Newcastle & West End | UK and Ireland tour |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2023 | |
| Faye Treadwell | Beverley Knight | Carly Mercedes Dyer |
| George Treadwell & others | Adam J. Bernard | Miles Anthony Daley |
| Johnny Moore, Gerhart Thrasher & others | Tarinn Callender | Daniel Haswell |
| Clyde McPhatter, Lover Patterson & others | Matt Henry | Tarik Frimpong |
| Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis & others | Tosh Wanogho-Maud | Ashford Campbell |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best New Musical | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Beverley Knight | Nominated | ||
| WhatsOnStage Award | Best Performer in a Female Identifying Role in a Musical | Nominated | ||
References
edit- ^ Cristi, A. A. "Cast and Creative Team Announced for THE DRIFTERS GIRL Starring Beverley Knight". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ^ "The Drifters Girl musical announces full casting". British Theatre. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
- ^ "Brand new musical The Drifters Girl comes to the Garrick Theatre". Nimax Theatres. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- ^ Yossman, K. J. (8 March 2022). "Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley and Emma Corrin Nominated for Olivier Awards 2022". Variety.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: the winners in full | WhatsOnStage". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "We've got some exciting news to share with you my Luvs... ❤️ The boys and I have been down at the legendary Abbey Road studios and recorded a cast album of 'The Drifters Girl'!!! It's out 6th May". Twitter.com. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Broadway's Felicia Boswell to Make Her West End Debut, Taking over from Beverley Knight in Hit Musical 'The Drifters Girl'". 27 May 2022.