We didn’t know the story of the American R&B singers The Drifters but we certainly knew their music.
New musical The Drifter’s Girl is on a UK tour and currently playing at the New Theatre Oxford, until Saturday.
Based on the true story of Faye Treadwell, the forthright, sassy and business savvy manager of The Drifters, the show takes us through the highs and lows of her career to the soundtrack of their greatest hits.
We were pleasantly surprised how many songs we knew – in fact most of the audience were nodding their heads along to the music and those behind us were singing along as hit after hit was pumped out. Come on over to my place, Kissin’ in the back row of the movies, Stand by me, Sweets for my Sweet, Unforgettable, You’re more than a number in my little red book and more!
The Drifters started out in 1953, an all-American doo-wap/R&B/soul group fronted by Clyde McPhatter and managed by George Treadwell. But when George met Faye and offered her a job in Manhattan, so began a journey that would see her rise from nothing to manage one of the most popular groups at the time; she later landed herself in court fighting over the rights to The Drifter’s name.
Interestingly, The Drifter’s was the name of a group of singers – like a sports team – with different performers joining its ranks over the decades. After Clyde was drafted into the military and left the group, George bought the rights The Drifter’s name. This enabled the group to keep going but with (a lot) of different members who joined and then left. These included Ben E King, Bill Pinkney, Charlie Thomas, Rudy Lewis and so many more.
We really enjoyed the show – there was so much detail to this story and so much history. We found ourselves rooting for Faye, who faced so many challenges from working in a man’s world, to single parenthood and racial discrimination.
The music was fabulous and the voices heavenly – credit to Ashford Campbell, Tarik Frimpong, Miles Anthony Daley and Daniel Haswell. While Carly Mercedes Dyer, who played Faye Treadwell, was utterly breath-taking when she got going.
Finally we want to mention the set – we loved the modern, sleek design which slid into place coupled great lighting and projections which moved us forward through the story.
The show opened in 2021 in Newcastle and went on to a West End run until 2022. The UK and Ireland tour started in 2023 and will run until May this year.
For an enjoyable evening, filled with wonderful music, you can catch The Drifter’s Girl at Oxford’s New Theatre until Saturday March 9th. For more information and tickets https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-drifters-girl/new-theatre-oxford/.
