Five Guys Named Moe – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Picture: Timothy Kelly

Five Guys Named Moe continues at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London until 16 January 2021.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

First produced in 1990 (at Stratford East and then the Lyric in Shaftesbury Avenue), this show still gleams, 32 years later – especially in the intimate traverse space of Upstairs at the Gatehouse.

Yes, it’s a jukebox musical (featuring the hits of Louis Jordan and other music) and yes, the framing narrative is feeble but with a cast as committedly energetic as this and a fine five-piece band (MD is Griffin Jenkins) on view at one end of the stage, it becomes a compelling piece of entertainment.

Nomax (Juan Jackson) has made a mess of the relationship with his girlfriend and turned to drink for comfort. Then five all-singing, all-dancing chaps emerge from the radio to sort him out. Not much of a plot but never mind.

Jackson is outstanding. His singing voice is extraordinarily wide ranging – very loud and powerful and equally moving when it’s lyrical. He could probably sing classical opera. It’s a pity, perhaps, that for so much of the show his role merely involves watching the others because we don’t get the chance to enjoy his talents to the full.

The other five – the titular Moes (AJ Lewis, Andre Coulson, Kieran McGinn, KM Drew Boateng, Christian Maynard) –  are an accomplished bunch who work beautifully together. Director/choreographer Mykal Rand uses every inch of that long thin space so that the actors whizz about, often in a line, slickly, smilingly and melodiously including every audience member with eye contact.

The structure of the piece means that they all get backed solos in a range of styles including rock‘n’ roll, jazz, country and western, calypso and, eventually, a hymn-like choral quintet in harmony. Act II is set up as a Five Moe concert which Nomax is watching.

The Calypso number ‘Push Ka Pi She Pie’ rattles along appealingly at the end of Act I. Then they put words up and organise a pantomime-style singing competition, ultimately getting the whole audience singing and seat-dancing. The band, meanwhile, must have played that catchy little four-line tune 50 times. It feels like a party – or it would if we weren’t all dutifully wearing face masks.

Another high spot is ‘Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens’. It’s silly but great fun – much clucking and flapping – and a pleasing contrast to some of the slightly more serious material.

All in all it’s a very jolly, feel-good, well put together two hours of theatre and I was really pleased – at the performance I saw – to see the auditorium almost full during these difficult times.

Susan Elkin