DOWNTOWN – The Mod Musical

DOWNTOWN flips through the years like a musical magazine and takes you back to the music, the fashion and the freedom of the 60's. This smashing revue tracks five groovy gals as they come of age during those liberating days that made England swing, using the infectious and soulful pop anthems and ballads that made household names of stars like Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Lulu. Featuring chart-topping hits as "To Sir With Love", "Downtown", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", "Son of A Preacher Man" and "Goldfinger", its irresistible blend of hip-swivelling hits, eye-popping fashions and psychedelic dances, this fun-filled musical will make you want to head back to the swinging 60's.

Director and Set Designer John Fausett has captured the mood perfectly, evoking the feel of the TV studio in his extra large wrap- around white staircase set which lit beautifully. Lighting Designer John Adams made this set buzz.

Costuming by Yvonne Dinnage, which had to adhere to a colour pallet of character names, was a triumph of fashion, fun and design of such quality that they could be worn by today’s mod, groovy fabulous things.

The orchestra, playing on stage, was impressively contained and kept the pace humming along.

DOWNTOWN, a “juke box” musical, features an accomplished ensemble cast of 5 women. They are virtually on stage throughout the entire show. Katie Bierwirth, Emma Bishop, Lindsey Brown, Loren Conway and Melinda Joe twist, stomp, monkey, frug, dog, mash potato and watusi their way through the show, singing some the greatest hits of the “swinging 60’s” with a sense of fun and adventure. Choreographer Karen Ruske has moved this with a reverential satire. Clever use of mixed media and a filmed perfect cameo performance by Marion Nicolson, and a sexy off-stage compere by David Mackie, completed a great evening out.

Budget constraints, I suspect, contributed to sound not being all that it could have been. Overall, while I enjoyed a fun night out, I was left with a nagging suspicion that, had there not been quite so many stairs, the well-rounded performers might just have had a bit more of the madcap, frenetic energy of the 1960’s about them.

DOWNTOWN – The Mod Musical is lovably addictive and recommended to all ages, although if you know all the words and actually wore those clothes you will should definitely “forget all your worries, forget all your cares and go Downtown”.

Pauline Vella

Photographer – John Fergusson Photography