The Drifters - Girl.

 The Drifters - Girl

A young girl walks onto the stage of the Garrick Theatre in London's West End, drops a dime or cent into a jukebox and spins a record by the now legendary American group the Drifters. It is the starting point for a musical masterpiece, the kind of show that the West End of London may have forgotten about but always knew would one day appear.

For almost two years the West End has craved a comforting arm around its shoulder, gave it its rightful recognition and then basked in one of the most satisfying evenings the Garrick has seen for a while. The subject matter here was one of the original boy bands, black, smooth as silk, cool and handsomely dressed. They were the flavour of many decades of accomplished song lyrics, classy licks and riffs, finger clicks and the demeanour of a soul group whom your daughter could quite easily take home to your parents without a hint of embarrassment. 

Originally known as the Coasters and the Ravens, they then morphed into the Drifters, a name formerly attached to the British combo Hank Marvin and the Shadows who once called themselves the Drifters but then considerately changed their name to the Shadows because naming rights were precious in those days. Besides, Hank Marvin and the Drifters wouldn't have quite resonated with the British public in the way the Shadows would have done.

The story of the Drifters Girl was, as you might have expected, turbulent, a roaring success, dark, dramatic, outstandingly popular and the centre of showbiz attention. The Drifters became a phenomenal hit making factory who just kept producing platinum vinyl records by the millions across the world. They were loved and worshipped by hysterical girls but always seemingly in control of their destiny. They would establish themselves in the Hall of Fame and their music would span the decades like a stunning bridge. 

During the 1970s you would fondly remember their gorgeous repertoire of gleaming gems ranging from Saturday Night at the Movies, Kissing in the Back Row of the Movies and There Goes My First Love and then regard with an almost spiritual reverence the classic 45s that captured our imagination. When Adam J. Bernard, Tarim Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanoglo who took the roles of the four boys on stage twirled their feet, spinning around on their shoes and dancing themselves into a frenzy of joy, you knew you were in good company. 

But few of us were perhaps familiar with their back story and this show did come as something of an astonishing revelation. Beverley Knight, surely one of Britain's finest singers, was Faye Treadwell, a feisty, no nonsense, no holds barred character who becomes the Drifters manager and promptly points the guys in the right direction. She confronts them accusingly, a demanding perfectionist, perhaps a control freak at times but always with their best interests at heart. 

Then she becomes manipulative, controlling, deceiving and domineering, reading the riot act to the boys. It is at this point that the story gets very serious, exposing the difficulties that the group had to experience before they could move forward. There was the call up for Vietnam as one of the Drifters is handed a rifle. There are the legal machinations that saw the group fighting vigorously to defend themselves in the face of adversity. 

And yet for all their trials and tribulations, we are then taken back to a rain swept England during the 1960s where the Drifters were transported through the delightful provinces of Nottingham, Plymouth, Leeds, Manchester, Chester and Durham. The show's Drifters brilliantly switch from City gents with umbrellas to hotel and taxi signs while promoting their work. Come Over to My Place and Stand By Me are given the showboating treatment. 

You were also reminded about Ben E. King's involvement in the formation of the group. King went onto enjoy a marvellous solo career with hit singles of his own. The final word was left to the wonderful Beverley Knight, who joined the rest of the Drifters in a toe tapping, unforgettable sequence of the Drifters sensational back catalogue of songs. The audience around us were just in seventh heaven and how grateful we were to see them again.