Tom – A Story of Tom Jones – The Musical at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury and Touring. Picture: Christopher Davies
Tom – A Story of Tom Jones – The Musical continues at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury until 9 August and then tours until 4 June.
Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Twenty minutes into Tom – A Story of Tom Jones and it was time to check the front of the programme. Yes, the words ‘The Musical’ were there as part of the show’s title, so where was the music?
Sure, there is a sprinkling of tracks in this touring production from Theatre na nÓg – we see the young Jones making an impression in Welsh pubs and clubs – but ultimately writer Mike James has not created a musical. Instead, the piece is suffering something of an identity crisis – falling somewhere between a play with music and a tribute show.
One can see what attracted James and the creative team to Jones’ story – Thomas John Woodward, from Treforest, Pontypridd in South Wales, ill with tuberculosis at 12, married with a child at 17, and then, after a few false starts in the music business, a chart-topping pop star at 25. And 50 years later he is still playing arenas and releasing albums.
The problem is that James has only chosen to focus on Jones’ early life and career, almost dwelling as much on his relationship with his young wife Linda as on his struggle to find success as a singer. The story comes to end with the performer’s breakthrough hit, ‘It’s Not Unusual’, with a few familiar hits clumsily thrown into a concert-style finale – a hint of some of the great music that could have been included if the project had been approached from a different angle.
Thanks to a cliched narrative that plods along for two hours, shifting from domestic to professional struggles and employing old-fashioned devices like the presence of a narrator, Jones’ journey seems ordinary rather than extraordinary, and that just isn’t the case.
A glance at the star’s Wiki entry notes Jones’ 36 Top 40 hits in the United Kingdom and 19 in the United States, his OBE, Brit and Grammy awards, own TV show, stints in Las Vegas, collaborations with everyone from Elvis to the Art of Noise, a recent stint as a judge on BBC1’s The Voice – not to mention all the infidelities that have gone on behind the scenes.
None of this is even touched on. No wonder that the Waterside Theatre was half empty and the majority of those present were of a particular generation. Any ‘youngsters’ present must have gone away wondering what all the fuss was about.
However, this review stretches to two stars because there are a few redeeming factors, mainly to do with the efforts of a few of the actor-musicians, rather than Geinor Styles’ pedestrian direction and a set design that very much relies on projections.
Actor Kit Orton normally plays the central role, but on this occasion Jones was played by Tim Bonser who boasts many of the qualities the role demands. While the performer appears a tad uncomfortable with playing up the sexuality of Jones’ dance moves, he looks the part and his gestures and gyrating moves are spot-on. Best of all, he is a vocalist with an impressive quality and range, able to adapt from a tender ballad to rock and pop.
While members of the ensemble provide the musical accompaniment (hats off to the Senators, played by John McLarnon, Tom Connor, Daniel Lloyd and Chris Slade), it’s very rare that any other cast members are called upon to sing with Bonser (though there is one sweet exception when Jones sings ‘Spanish Harlem’ in a scene with Elin Phillips’ Linda). This again undermines the show’s ambitions to be a musical and means that any efforts to build an emotional bond with the audience fail dismally.
A while ago, I saw an interview with Tom Jones during which he spoke with great tenderness about his love and affection for his father. These feelings are mentioned by Jones in the script, but after we meet his parents in early scenes, there is hardly any sign of them from then on.
This is just one of the routes by which the creators could have drawn us in, making use of the strength of Jones’ story and combining that with the music available. It turns out to be one of many missed opportunities.
Lisa Martland
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