Ambitiously based on the track listing of a million-selling compilation of Fifties and Sixties hits, Dreamboats And Petticoats boasts toe-tapping tunes aplenty, yet ultimately buckles under their weight.
The simple plot sees teenager Bobby (X Factor’s Scott Bruton) ousted from the local band and the affections of sexpot Sue (Jennifer Biddell from Hollyoaks) by brash rocker Norman (Emmerdale’s Ben Freeman), before realising the value of substance in his geeky songwriting partner Laura.
There are some good jokes, but too often the dialogue is reduced to a series of song cues.
Daisy Wood-Davis, playing Laura, is a real find, but it falls to David Cardy as Bobby’s father to show the young ‘uns there’s more to song and dance than the right words and steps.
Until 12 Sep The Strand, WC2, (0844 871 7615, AmbassadorTickets.com), Mon-Fri 7.30, Sat 8.00, Mats Thu 3.00 & Sat 4.00, £25-50, Tube: Charing Cross
Dreamboats And Petticoats
Savoy Theatre
Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET
