Be Bop A Lula

Sweet ECA    16 - 30 August @ 20.00    Weiner, Torres, Pluckrose and Sweet Entertainments

Set in 1960, this piece tells of an evening in a small town in the North of England.  Eddie Cochrane and Gene Vincent are sharing a room above a pub as they tour together.  Eddie is the ‘good guy’ with the girl back home; Gene the wild boy who wants to ‘score chicks’ all the way round England.  These actors deliver first-rate performances and their voices ring with authenticity.

Clearly, Rex Weiner knows a great deal about these characters and his script is packed with facts and period detail.  There is a lack of dramatic tension and a poor understanding of how to create memorable theatre; this is a great pity as the two lead actors are clearly talented and deserved better material than this to work with.  The ‘device’ of Buddy Holly’s appearance is poorly handled, particularly in the guitar ‘duel’ with Gene Vincent.

This is not musical theatre – a great pity as the opportunity and the desire for music is clear from the audience – many of whom turned up in very accurate rockabilly gear – the original fans live on!