‘THE DRIFTERS GIRL’: Adam J. Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry & Tosh Wanogho-Maud. Photo: Johan Persson.

THE DRIFTERS GIRL
Book by Ed Curtis
Based on an idea by Tina Treadwell
Co-created by Adam J. Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry, Beverley Knight & Tosh Wanogho-Maud
Directed by Jonathan Church
Garrick Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London, United Kingdom
(0330 333 4811), www.thedriftersgirl.com

By David NouNou

LONDON—There are two parallel stories taking place here, woven together to form a cohesive musical. This is more than just another jukebox musical. In this case, the main attractions here are The Drifters’ songbook; and the real story is a tribute by Tina Treadwell to her mother, Faye Treadwell.

Nowadays there is little known about Faye Treadwell (Beverley Knight). She was a pioneer in the American music industry. She was a black woman in the 1950s and being a secretary was not a profession she chose to be in. There was a lot of discrimination in the music business, but being a woman in a man’s arena was unheard of.

In her 30s, she met George Treadwell (Adam J. Bernard) who was in artist management. He took her in not as a secretary but as an associate. She was smart, had a business sense, taste in music, and recognized talent. When he died suddenly, she took control of the company and became a tough deal maker and an incredible businesswoman. This is the business track of the story.

The other track is The Drifters themselves. Over the years there have been over 60 members in the group known as The Drifters. Among them were Clyde McPhatter, Lover Patterson and others (Matt Henry), Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis and others (Tosh Wanogho-Maud). At our performance, it was Ashford Campbell substituting for Mr. Wanogho-Maud. Johnny Moore, Gerhart Thrasher and others (Tarinn Callender). Over the years the members of the group had changed, but their sound was indelible, and the songs immortal: “Under the Boardwalk”, “Stand by Me,” “Save The Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “Unforgettable,” “Sweets for My Sweet,” and many more.

The intersection of the narrative is in the fact that members of the group were either inducted for military service, left on their own will to go solo, or were dropped due to their addictions. Faye Treadwell comes in to form the group as a brand rather than being dependent on any individual performer. She coined the philosophy “Everyone supports the Yankees but the players change all the time, so why couldn’t this principle be applied to a band?” and she succeeded by this motto.

Here is the interesting concept for this musical; it was created and is acted by the five principals of the show. There is a sixth character, and that is Faye’s daughter known as Girl (Shanyia Tsoto) who is sensitive and touching. Other than Beverley Knight portraying Faye, all four male characters play multiple roles and at times you really believe there are about 20 characters in this musical. Mr. Bernard, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Callender, and Mr. Henry are sheer perfection. Their vocalizing is superb, and it feels like you are at a Drifters concert.

Beverley Knight is considered the Queen of British Soul but is unknown to American audiences. She has a voice of a nightingale and holds the audience in the palm of her hand. The one misgiving in Ms. Knight’s performance is her mega-sized Southern accent; to an American ear it sounds forced. I’m sure it’s perfectly acceptable to the English audience.

Director Jonathan Church keeps the proceedings on the move, thanks in large part to Anthony Ward’s uncluttered sets which are constantly moving to represent different locations. For Drifters fans and audiences who are not familiar with the “golden oldies,” this is a joyous evening of harmonizing and a beautiful songbook of immortal songs.

Editor’s note: Felicia Boswell recently replaced Beverley Knight in the lead role of Faye Treadwell.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 8, 2022
Reviewed in London on June 15, 2022.

‘THE DRIFTERS GIRL’: Marquee & entrance to the Garrick Theatre in London. Photo: StageZine.

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BITTER WHEAT
By David Mamet
Directed by David Mamet
Through September 21, 2019
Garrick Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London, United Kingdom
(0330 333 4811), BitterWheatPlay.com

By David NouNou

LONDON–There was a time when David Mamet was a playwright who wrote with a certain style, had a way with words and demanded our attention. He was a force to be reckoned with and then he started taking his notoriety too seriously. Take into consideration his last four plays: The Anarchist with Patti LuPone and Debra Winger, incomprehensible, China Doll with Al Pacino, abysmal and pointless; November with Nathan Lane and Laurie Metcalf, a sad attempt at comedy of the absurd; and now Bitter Wheat, an incomplete and inexplicably bad stab at attempting to write about a Harvey Weinstein (Hollywood producer who has fallen from grace, in case you’ve been living under a rock lately) character, with the added hubris of Mr. Mamet directing the play himself.

It starts out with Barney Fein (John Malkovich), a horrible, foul-mouthed, narcissistic egomaniac Hollywood producer trying to chisel a screenwriter out of paying him for his screenplay. Lots of foul expletives are used, and the screenwriter leaves. In comes his secretary, the long-suffering and put-upon Sondra (Doon Mackichan) where she is explaining to Barney that he is being presented with an award that night, but he wants it done in his image. In comes Doctor Feel- good who gives Barney his (let’s say, Viagra?) shot because he is about to make a conquest. In comes the conquest, Yung Kim Li (Joanna Kimbook); she is a beautiful South Korean filmmaker who has just made a film entitled Bitter Wheat, which was very well received in Cannes, and the seduction begins. For the next half hour Barney is chasing Yung Li from room to room, floor to floor, in his penthouse apartment/office. He has an erection from Dr. Feel-Good, he has to make a conquest before it wears off, but she is too smart for him. She finds an alarm button presses it, sirens go off, Barney is with his pants down and the curtain comes down for Act I.

Since I saw it in a preview and knew nothing about the play, it is at intermission discussing the play with my companion that it dawned on me that it had similarities to Harvey Weinstein and the story seemed like a half-baked roman a clef about the disgraced Hollywood mogul.

Act II begins with Barney coming back after charges were pressed on him, now more women accusers are coming out and speaking against him. Disgraced and fallen from grace, Barney is informed by his secretary, Sondra, that his award/statuette is being rescinded and that she has had enough covering up for him and is walking out on him, that doesn’t go well, more expletives, she leaves. In comes Yung Kim Li, his accuser tells him she hopes there are no hard feelings and the curtain comes down.

Say what?

John Malkovich, absent too long from both the New York and London stages, poses an age-old question as to why this show would be his comeback vehicle? Was it because he was able to play an odious character with no scruples or moral compass, spewing venom at everyone throughout the night, or was he caught up in David Mamet’s faint aura?

The two people that come off best are Doon Mackikhan very good as the secretary that has crammed every skeleton in all the closets and has had enough. Joanna Kimbook is enchanting as the South Korean filmmaker.

Moral of the review: A bad play should not be directed by the playwright who wrote it, there is no distance from it and no one to tell the playwright “the emperor has no clothes on.” There is no play here.

And to think the previous night we saw The Lehman Trilogy; talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 1, 2019
Reviewed at performance in London, June 2019

‘BITTER WHEAT’: John Malkovich. Photo: Manuel Harlan

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