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Tribute's a family affair- Oct 1 2004 -DAVID WHETSTONE, The Journal |
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| Lonnie D: The Story of Lonnie Donegan at Whitley Bay Playhouse until Saturday | ||
| A brand
new musical burst forth last night and all those venue managers around
the country who snapped it up, sight unseen, need have no worries. This is going to be one of the warmest - warm in the sense of affectionate - and foot-tapping shows on tour this autumn. |
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| You can only imagine that Lonnie Donegan (1931-2002), legendary King of Skiffle, would have been proud and touched. | ||
| For
those who grew up with his music - and they clearly made up the bulk of
last night's large premiere audience - it oozes nostalgia. But while it is a show bathed in fond memories, it isn't mawkish. |
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| And
if the name Lonnie Donegan means nothing to you, go along and submit yourself
to the sounds that changed the face of British popular music in the 1950s.
The musical, produced and directed by Leah Bell, from Bedlington, features
three of Lonnie's four sons, Anthony, Peter and young David. Peter, who toured with his dad, has inherited his father's easy charm and ability to work an audience. At just 20, he could be a major star in the making. Part one surveys Lonnie's life with girl dancers and the male group Hitsville playing teenagers in the "Froffy Coffy Bar" as Peter and Anthony relate their father's achievements, reflected in images projected on a screen. |
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| Part two is simply a gig, an irresistible one with Lonnie's own skiffle band joining the Donegan brothers for a medley of greatest hits. | ||
| These
guys can really play, age clearly no bar to that quality called cool. We had the comic songs - Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavour, and My Ol' Man's A Dustman - and the number which caused a hiatus in British pop music, Rock Island Line, a massive hit in the summer of 1954 and long due a revival. Leah Bell and Lonnie's widow, Sharon, were on stage, and the music was still going, when a deadline called. They might all still be there. |
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LONNIE DONEGAN The Musical - Floral Pavilion, New Brighton Liverpool Daily Post - DAVE CHARTERS |
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| WELL, they couldn't dance in the aisles any more, lest the creaking of old joints should drown out the thunderous music. But an almost packed house whooped in delight, as the Lonnie Donegan Story was told with rare verve, bags of humour, boundless energy and occasional moments of true poignancy - just like the man himself. Set in the Frothy Coffee bar in the mid -1950’s, the story of the little man who became one of Britain’s greatest entertainers began with friends discussing the skiffle craze sweeping the country, just as TV was being introduced. | ||
| Everyone
was talking about Lonnie Donegan, while licking foam of espresso coffee
from their lips. In these exchanges Pauline (Lynn Larkin) emerges as a
true vaudevillian, ably supported by Shirley (Kay Milbourne). You feel the throb of a changing Britain from the start. But this isn’t merely a tribute show to the great musician who died two years ago. |
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| Selections deal with his chequered love life, his slipping from public recognition, the cabaret years, the rise of beat, punk and then his comeback in the 1990’s as the undisputed king of skiffle. At the core are his sons, Peter and Anthony Donegan, the band which was with him on his final tour, and the singing trio Hitsville, Tony Johnson, Johnny Newsome and Tony’s son LeRoy. | ||
| The highly - talented brothers, who sound and look very much like their father, give spirited renditions of the big hits - the Rock Island Line, Tom Dooley, Pick a Bale of Cotton etc., sometimes backed by the whole troupe.And when Lonnie’s voice begins the haunting Seven Golden Daffodils to be joined by his sons, the damp eyes out number the grey hairs. | ||
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This charming and exciting show is to tour the UK again next year. Dave Charters |
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LONNIE
DONEGAN The Musical - Fairfield
Hall, Croydon Encore - Review Roundup - JIM KENNEDY |
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Having missed the world premiere of the show at Whitley Bay Playhouse I had the opportunity to review it at the Fairfield Hall in Croydon. |
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| I entered the auditorium not sure what to expect. Every seat was filled and the atmosphere was electric. The show was brilliant in it’s conception and first class in it’s presentation. | ||
| The stars of the night were surely the Donegan boys - sons Peter, Anthony and David, with Peter stealing the honours - a certainty to follow in his farther’s footsteps! The entire cast deserve the fullest praise for their efforts but a special mention for the special talents of Lynn Larkin who sang, danced and provided superb comedy in the style of the true professional she most certainly is. | ||
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An excellent show and one, I am sure will break box office records, such is the respect and popularity the profession and indeed, the public, hold for the subject. Well done Leah and Sharon - Lonnie would have loved it! Jim Kennedy |
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LONNIE
DONEGAN The Musical - Futurist
Theatrel, Scarborough Review - MIKE PARK Lonnie Donegan, the
legendary King of Skiffle, influenced not only a generation |