|
Tonight's
The Night (Victoria Palace)
| "It's
done with quite a bit of musical conviction, and though I'm
not about to sign up to Rod's fan club, I may actually buy the
cast album..." |
Pop's
back catalogue has frequently given rise to theatrical tribute shows,
but
thanks to Mamma Mia! - which famously folded old Abba songs into
a vivid new storyline to create a brand new musical - we've now
got a new epidemic on the way.
This
latest one - which could have been titled 'We Will Rod You' - is
a coarse celebration of the sexual allure of rock n roll, showing
how a lonely, virginal geek of a garage mechanic (convincingly played
by Tim Howar) is transformed into a rock lothario - when he's suddenly
given the heart, soul and, yes, balls of Rod Stewart.
groan-inducing
'jokes'
Ben
Elton's risible plot needn't detain us, as it clearly didn't detain
him much longer than an hour or two to write it.
Amidst the groan-inducing 'jokes', the show is just an excuse, of
course, to shoe-horn the songs into the proceedings.
But
since they're what the punters have actually come to hear, the clunky
book scenes weigh proceedings down quite a bit.
 |
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The
top price for the musical - at 拢55 - sets a new West
End high
|
So
what of the sing-a-long-a-Rod part of the evening? (And some members
of the audience are treating it as such - why they're shelling out
up to 拢55 to do so when they can stay at home and do the same
thing with their CDs defeats me).
fine
pop melodies
In
fact, it's done with quite a bit of musical distinction and conviction,
and though I'm not about to sign up to the Rod fan club, I may actually
buy the cast album.
Here
are some fine pop melodies without the fingers-on-a-blackboard sound
of Rod's rasp.
I'll
also take cute young Tim Howar over grizzled old Rod any day, too.
And Hannah Waddingham's high-camp Satan who effects the transformation
also whips up a devilish vocal storm.
Agree
or disagree with our review? Add your comments below...
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