ROCK FOLLIES

The intimate space of Chichester Festival Theatre’s Minerva gave last night’s performance of this renewal of the 1970s rock drama an up close intensity and air of seediness. The original TV series and subsequent hit album, which I am of the right age to have loved, was in many ways groundbreaking. And it certainly launched careers, how wonderful it was to see Rula Lenska in the audience last night. But there was one enormous difference between the 70s classic and this new incarnation. The original was a TV drama about a girl band fighting for success in a world dominated mainly by men and pretty egotistical ones to boot, and along the way there were songs. It was drama with music but it was by no stretch of the mind a musical.

CFT have now presented the whole story, 12 episodes of around an hour in length, into one evening of musical theatre, and as a consequence something had to give. Would it be the drama or the music? Well clearly the drama as the whole evening was jam packed with Andy McKay’s songs, many of which are really excellent, not only as pop/rock numbers but also at progressing the narrative and colouring the story. But with so many numbers the whole felt cluttered and I was left craving more of the drama from a truly excellent cast.

And what a cast they are, so powerful and so present in that story. Zizi Strallen is simply delicious as Q, the posh girl drawn into the world of pop, back in the day I met many women like that and she simply nails the role – and her numbers. Angela Marie Hurst is equally powerful as Dee and in this production has the better dramatic story, and what a voice! Carly Bawden has the best dramatic challenge to embrace as the flawed and brittle Anna and she does this with real and convincing skill.

The trio are surround by a host of characters from scene shifting roadies and back stage hands who form a dancing and singing chorus, to the real figures in the story. Samuel Barnett is delightful as Harry, their loyal manager and champion and he plays the gay character without ever straying into camp stereotypes. The inclusion of his boyfriend added nothing to the whole. Sebastien Torka is thrilling in all three of his main characters but especially as the egomaniacal Stevie strutting and tantrumming like an infantile Alice Cooper.

The highlight of my evening though had to be Tamsin Carroll who took on three roles but excelled firstly as the delightful hippy Gloria in the commune, if you remember the 70s then you will have know this character. She then emerges as the rock manager powerhouse Kitty in a performance that is so tough and so real and she also has the best musical number of the evening which is a showstopper for sure.

I loved so much of this, but I wanted to love it more. I would have loved more of the drama and less of the music and certainly less of the ensemble dance numbers which felt out of place and clumsily slowed the thing down.

Andrew Kay

31 July

Chichester Festival Theatre

[rating: 3/5]