Review: Dreamboats and Petticoats (Tour) - Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Glasgow is Scotland with Style and this September at Glasgow’s theatres that style is Rock n Roll, starting with Dreamboats and Petticoats at the Theatre Royal.

The fifties and sixties were undoubtedly the years of the teenager and Dreamboats and Petticoats is a celebration of teenage innocence, angst and heartbreak punctuated by the hits of the period. Created with a core audience in mind, Dreamboats opens a door to the past giving the audience an opportunity to relive their youth through popular songs such as Teenager in Love, Bobby's Girl, Little Town Flirt and Shakin' All Over.

Dreamboats and Petticoats is the embodiment of the jukebox musical genre. The book is forced around a determined effort to squeeze as many famous songs into the musical as possible. The loose plotline focuses on teenage love and centres on the competitive relationship between the fresh-faced Bobby and Norman who views himself as the town's playboy.

The lack of plot is more than compensated for by the enthusiastic cast and the fantastic integration of instruments and live music on stage. Incorporating the band on-stage and as members of the cast adds to the music hall atmosphere. There are some beautiful a capella moments showcasing the cast’s beautiful voices as well as the songs, in particular Johnny Tillotson’s Poetry in Motion is delightfully arranged in this way. Staging such as the real dodgems scooting across the stage as part of the section in Southend and the impressive slow-motion fight scene are a visual treat.

For anyone who was a teenager in the 60s or who just has a love of the music from that time, Dreamboats and Petticoats is a celebration of an era and an opportunity to roll back the years.

Dreamboats and Petticoats last performance at the Theatre Royal is Saturday 17th September; followed by Rock n Roll Heaven which opens in the same theatre on Tuesday 20th September. Rock Around the Clock will be jiving into the King’s Theatre on the same day so there are lots of opportunities to dust off your dancing shoes!

BOOKING DETAILS
Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)
www.ambassadortickets.com/Glasgow (bkg fee)
Tickets bought in person at the theatre box office do not carry a booking fee.