By Carys Hoggan
If anyone knows me, they’ll know I’m a huge musical theatre fan. Every opportunity I get to see a show, I’ll take it. This love for musicals does, however, mean that there aren’t many musicals I go in blind to. The Drifters’ Girl is an exception to that. Having seen the posters around the West End last year, I took the opportunity to go see the touring production on their opening night on Monday and I was in for a treat.
The Drifters Girl is a hit jukebox musical about music group, The Drifters, and the woman behind their success - Faye Treadwell. It follows her story through the group’s successes and failures, from the high of hit songs and packed shows to lows like legal battles and personal tragedy. Treadwell is a force to be reckoned with, who refuses to be a secretary, telling her future husband and co-manager that “I don’t answer no phone but my own,” she tells him, refusing to be his secretary. A stand-out piece from this show for me must be an inventive twist on the classic song “Stand By Me”, delivered with power and emotion.
As for The Drifters themselves, their stylish wardrobes and polished songs hides the confusing truth that the band has contained more members than I was able to count, with some of them acknowledged in the show. While confusing, it offers a fun insight to everyone who shaped the band. Given the size of the cast, the range of characters played kept the show exciting and unpredictable, in the best way, as you’d never be sure how long a new character would stay around before going again.
The one constant amongst the catchy tunes is Faye, The Drifters Girl, who fought for the Drifter name and Drifter legacy. What’s not constant, however, is them being in Oxford, or on tour. Catch them across the UK to witness the story of one of the biggest women in the music-managing business and listen to some great music while you’re at it.
Get your tickets here!