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 |
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 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]
A UK and Ireland tour was announced to begin at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton in September 2023, with dates until May 2024.
The musical features songs made famous by The Drifters including;
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 |
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 |
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