The Drifters Girl

The Drifters Girl is a jukebox musical with a book by Ed Curtis based on an idea by Tina Treadwell. It is based on the story of the American vocal group The Drifters and their manager Faye Treadwell, and features their music.

The Drifters Girl
MusicVarious
LyricsVarious
BookEd Curtis
Tina Treadwell (idea)
BasisStory and music of The Drifters
Premiere9 October 2021: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Productions2021 Newcastle-upon-Tyne
2021 West End

Production history

The musical made its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle on 9 October, running until 23 October 2021 prior to a run in London's West End at the Garrick Theatre from 4 November 2021 until 26 March 2022. The production is directed by Jonathan Church with a set designed by Anthony Ward, costumes by Faye Fullerton, choreographed by Karen Bruce, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall, and music direction by Chris Egan.[1] The show is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian. Beverley Knight stars as Faye Treadwell with Adam J. Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud as The Drifters who also co-created the musical.[2] The musical was originally announced in November 2019 to open in September 2020, however was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

The production received two Laurence Olivier Award nominations in 2022, for Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Musical.[4] Knight also received a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for her performance.[5]

The World Premiere Cast Recording for the musical was recorded by Knight, Bernard, Callender, Henry and Wanogho-Maud at Abbey Road Studios and was released on 6 May 2022.[6]

Musical numbers

The musical features songs made famous by The Drifters including;

  1. "Hello Happiness"/"Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies"/"There Goes My First Love"
  2. "Money Money"
  3. "Follow Me"
  4. "Whatcha Gonna Do"
  5. "Fools Fall in Love"
  6. "Nobody But Me"
  7. "Save The Last Dance For Me"
  8. "This Magic Moment"
  9. "Stand By Me"
  10. "Sweets for My Sweet"
  11. "I Don't Wanna Go On Without You"/"Stand By Me"
  12. "Saturday Night At The Movies"
  13. "There Goes My Baby"
  14. "When My Little Girl Is Smiling"
  15. "Under The Boardwalk"
  16. "In the Land of Make Believe"
  17. "Harlem Child"
  18. "Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies"
  19. "There Goes My First Love"
  20. "Come On Over To My Place"
  21. "There Goes My Baby" (reprise)
  22. "You're More Than a Number in My Little Red Book"

Cast and characters
Character Newcastle/West End premiere (2021)
Faye Treadwell Beverley Knight
George Treadwell Adam J. Bernard
Johnny Moore Tarinn Callender
Clyde McPhatter Matt Henry
Ben E. King Tosh Wanogho-Maud

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2022 Laurence Olivier Award Best New Musical Nominated
Best Actress in a Musical Beverley Knight Nominated
WhatsOnStage Award Best Performer in a Female Identifying Role in a Musical Nominated

References
  1. Cristi, A. A. "Cast and Creative Team Announced for THE DRIFTERS GIRL Starring Beverley Knight". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  2. "The Drifters Girl musical announces full casting". British Theatre. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  3. "Brand new musical The Drifters Girl comes to the Garrick Theatre". Nimax Theatres. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. Yossman, K. J. (8 March 2022). "Eddie Redmayne, Jessie Buckley and Emma Corrin Nominated for Olivier Awards 2022". Variety. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  5. "22nd Annual WhatsOnStage Awards: the winners in full | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  6. https://twitter.com/Beverleyknight/status/1509457839059877888
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