There’s always a risk going to see a musical based on a band you love. As the Small Faces were of the 60s era I hadn’t a live performance to draw comparisons. Needless to say their albums have a well deserved place amongst my iTunes library and cd collection (yes, I’m a 90s kid).
Much to my surprise at 25 I wasn’t the youngest theatre-goer in the audience. Whether or not the select few teenagers had been dragged along by their dads to witness an insight into their parents’ youth, they were far from running to the door.
By the end of the night mod-sters were up on their feet to join in a very inclusive, almost immersive style, singalong. I can only imagine what the final night was like.
Based on the short-lived story of the Small Faces the well crafted and musical narrative highlighted their struggle as underdogs to unintentional mainstream entertainers, whilst trying to grasp on to their true R&B sound throughout the mod era.
Chris Simmons (aka DA Mikey Webb, The Bill) plays former front man Steve Marriot, but as a ghostly presence who narrates and immerses himself within the story as he tells it.
It is through his engagement with the audience, drink in hand, that he conveys the highs and then demise of the band and Steve himself - his appearance becomes notably more disheveled as the story unfolds, like a signifier of the story’s current time period.
The band members, young Steve Marriot (Samuel Pope), Ronnie Lane (Stanton Wright), Kenney Jones (Stefan Edwards) and Ian McLagan (Josh Maddison), are portrayed most authentically from their Ben Sherman attires and teenage shenanigans to Jimmy Winston (Joseph Peters) riding in on a vesper.
From a hilarious encounter with Tony Blackburn to the manipulation of their corrupt manager Don Adren (Russell Floyd), the production was nothing short of a turbulent and bustling experience. Other familiar faces included Dusty Springfield, PP Arnold and a mysterious guy called Rod…
The small scale of the production itself was most impressive with a recycled cast placed throughout the years, to the almost simple but so effective stage design which boasted versatile props.
It’s a clichéd story of underdogs who have a real vision of what they aspire to be, but when the money and fame is stripped away they realise that the dream may not come true. This is the constant thread of realism which stretches throughout the narrative and eventually evokes an inevitable dark turn in the plot.
Delivered all on cue, the cast also resurrected many of the Small Faces’ incredible hits including All or Nothing, Lazy Sunday, Rene, Itchycoo Park and Sha La La La Lee.
As per all my experiences at the Wyvern the circulating staff were as humble and helpful as ever, and the auditorium as well as the foyer was packed with energy and enjoyment.
Photo credit: Phil Weedon.
