Theatre Review: 20th Century Boy - New Wimbledon Theatre ✭✭✭✭
20th Century Boy
New Wimbledon Theatre
23rd June 2014: It's been around 37 years since Marc Bolan died in a car crash in London, and his legacy lives on in this roaring bipoic of his life.
Told through the eyes of the son he never met, Roland (Luke Bailey) takes us on a journey of meeting his Grandmother, Uncle, and a former roadie, all of which have a story to tell of the T-Rex frontman's career.
There are some outstanding performances in this production, Marc Bolan is brought to life by Warren Sollars, who has every note down to a T...Rex! He has the swagger, the glam rock outfits, the guitar playing, mannerisms etc all bundled up into a fabulous performance.
Sue Jenkins plays Marc Boland's mum Phyllis Feld with huge emotion, in a very heart-warming and thought provoking style. A very lovable character and a good singing voice too. Donna Hines certainly knows how to belt out a tune or two too, playing Gloria Jones with a diva-esque quality but is not too over powering, just the right blend. Katia Sartini is also very strong on stage, playing numerous characters with aplomb.
But none of this would be possible without the legendary music of Marc Bolan and T-Rex, and the songs come thick and fast. I Love to Boogie, Get It On, Ride a White Swan, Children of the revolution and loads more are packed into this scintillating rollercoaster ride of glam-rock proportions. The sound quality is fantastic, the band are in fine form indeed, the lighting and projection add lovely visuals and backdrops to the set design, and the audience loved it! Standing ovations and dancing in the aisles at the end make this a sure fire winner.
Potential limited West End run to see how it goes? I think so... GET IT ON!
4 stars ✭✭✭✭
Listings Info
23-28 June NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE
30 June - 5 July WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE
7-12 July PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL
14-19 July SOUTHEND CLIFFS PAVILION