Leader of the Pack

Leader of the Packlived up to the juke-box musical formula of providing light-hearted, toe-tapping, (I’d like to) sing-along entertainment.  The minimum dialogue and limited action made way for many opportunities for the actors to showcase their singing and dancing, which they did most confidently.

A static set with hard legs painted as extracts from record covers along with three circular risers (painted as records) gave the cast plenty of room to move in their dance routines. Noteworthy, too was that an already very experienced performer, 16-year-old Ruby Hunter, debuted as a choreographer by doing the opening number for this show.

At just 19, Danielle Miller, gave a faultless, confident portrayal of a young, determined Ellie Greenwich.  By her own admission, she didn’t even know the title song, let alone any others from the Greenwich/Barry pens.

Opposite her, Jonathan Fife, seemed to lack the drive of what one might have expected of the Jeff Barry.  That may be, in part, due to the scripting; which was all about Ms Greenwich.

Catherine Deller’s portrayal of the powerful singer, Darlene Love, stood out.  Many amateur performers could learn a lot from her microphone technique and control.

One quickly loses count of the number of costumes in a show like this.  Credit must go to the Javeenbah costumiers.   If the girls’ hairstyles were excellent, the boys’ hair was a let down, being ‘so today’.

Russell E Williams

Image: (L-R) Danielle Miller & Jonathan Fife (Photographer): Regina De Silva