Teddy at The Lowry
Teddy
Part Shakespeare-esque romance, part live gig, Teddy is not your typical juke box 50s musical. Set in the damaged world of post-war London, this is an original show with new songs interspersing the narrative.
We meet teenagers Teddy and Josie synchronously, but separately, as they prepare for a night out. This is their story as they find each other for the first time and develop their relationship. Molly Chesworth (Josie) and George Parker (Teddy) are excellent in their performances, capturing the character of the time and delivering the cleverly scripted words effortlessly. They each play additional characters within their story (loved Molly portraying a 6ft 7” thug), but it is ultimately about the two of them and a shared love – of rock ‘n’ roll.
And it is the rock ‘n’ roll that is central to the story. The onstage live music gets the feet tapping and Dougal Irvine’s compositions fit perfectly with the era. Dylan Wood sets the hearts a flutter, and proves he has the voice, as well as the charisma, as the iconic Johnny Valentine, more than ably supported by Andrew Gallo, Freya Parks and Harrison White as his band The Broken Hearts.
Tristan Bernays script is cleverly written and provides an almost poetic evening. The story may be a little predictable, but the evening was an enjoyable step back in time to an era of post-war freedom.
By Garry Thomas-Lowde for Canal St Online
Quays Theatre, The Lowry: Feb 13th-17th 2018
https://www.quaytickets.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=7723C7B8-6B1C-4B63-A6D9-67BB376817D3&SessionSecurity::referrer=CanalSt
Published: 15-Feb-2018 (4746)
Follow Canal St