All Or Nothing continues at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury until 14 October, and then tours until 11 November. The show transfers to the Arts Theatre, London from 6 February to 11 March 2018.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
All Or Nothing transports its audience to the 1960s Mod scene to show how the Small Faces came to success.
Not only does this musical burst with nostalgia, it hits home to show how fame can be a dangerous business. Success is ultimately the band’s downfall as lead member Steve Marriott approaches self-destruction.
The emotional real-life tale is particularly enhanced as the ghost of Marriott (Chris Simmons) looks back at his life in the band. He goes on to reveal shocking revelations of how the band began and how his own dreams often left them in bad situations.
The first time we meet Marriott, Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones we see how innocent these East End lads were and how they just wanted to make music (and cause mischief!). Their rebellious nature combines with their naivety as they get thrown out of various clubs, pubs and the music shop Marriott works for.
The love for making music leaves the Small Faces wanting to tour up and down the country to various youth clubs to try and find their way in the industry. The show includes humorous one-liners, especially when the band are no longer in the East End and performing “in the North!”
All Or Nothing is not all doom and gloom though as the show encompasses lots of heart-warming moments for the band, as well as including some of their greatest hits.
The Small Faces – played by Samuel Pope (Young Steve Marriott), Stanton Wright (Ronnie Lane), Stefan Edwards (Kenney Jones) and Alexander Gold (Ian McLagan) – get the audience dancing and singing in their seats with their renditions of the hits including ‘Sha-La-La-La-Lee’, ‘Itchycoo Park’ and, of course, ‘All Or Nothing’.
Looking around at the audience, memories of the ‘youthful past’ come flooding back for all of those lucky enough to experience the music first time round, as well as grabbing audience members (including me) who are not as familiar with the material.
The musical, written and directed by Carol Harrison, takes you to the East End and her portrayal of Marriott’s mum adds an element of comedy.
She also demonstrates how much she wanted her son to do well and this emotion is heightened when we discover the revelation that Marriott’s rollercoaster of a life has come to an end.
The show includes some famous performers including Sonny and Cher (played by Daniel Beales and Sophie Behn), PP Arnold (Melissa Brown-Taylor) and Dusty Springfield (Sophia Behn) who showcase their fabulous vocals.
For one night you feel as though you have stepped back in time to the 1960s as the cast encapsulates the era and, as a result, is greeted by a standing ovation.
Molly Kerrigan
www.allornothingthemusical.com
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All Or Nothing gets West End transfer – News
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