[15
SEP 00] BELGRADE THEATRE REVIEW
Five Go To
Play Some Ska
The
script may be lacking, but get your pork pie hat out for the nostalgia
fest that truly belongs to Coventry.
Put
a slightly refined crowd than a bunch of "VIPs" (and press)
in the Belgrade and they'll be dancing in the aisles long before this
take on the ska scene from 20 years ago.
The
story, as such, loosely fits around a group of five who decide to from
a band and get in on the new buzz gripping the city.
DARREN
BOWYER-WARNER AS ZAC AND ADAM SHAW AS SEAN IN THREE MINUTE HEROES
It's
little more than an excuse to drift from classic to another by the
performers, ably backed by an on-stage band.
The
music, although a little smooth round the edges, cannot be faulted.
It's
what the crowd came for, and it's what they got.
No
doubt ska experts, people who were here at the time, will find
numerous holes in the storyline. Pauline Black from The Selecter was
involved in helping with it, and The Specials also get a fair few
mentions.
As
our young three-minute heroes split up due to the age-old reason of
"musical differences", Coventry is gripped by the racial
tensions that characterised its decline in the 1980s, and turned the
place into a ghost town.
By
the time they reach an encore, it's time to play the Special AKA's
Nelson Mandela.
The
best feature of the production is the screen used for projections of
newspaper cuttings and stills of the city at the time. To a youngster
like me, it's an interesting modern history lesson, but it is a shame
they didn't block out the Coventry Evening Telegraph's filing notes
before blowing them up on the big screen.
The
screen is also used to complement an impressive set, showing scenes
involving the characters while there is other action on the stage.
I'm
no expert on this era, but I cannot believe the musicians that spoke
for a generation were quite so clean-cut and well-behaved, or that
they sang in harmony so often.
Enid
Blyton couldn't have done a better job with some of the lines, as the
Famous Five Went To Play Some Ska. With lashings of cream, no doubt.
Excellent
light-relief from the comedy character of Sean ( Adam Shaw), and a
decent effort by actors much too young to remember it the first time
around, but it lacked attitude.
But
if you go for the music, you'll have a great time.
Running
Time: 2hrs 30 mins
Until
30 September
REVIEW BY ANTONY HOPKER
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