There is a school of thought which extolls the supremacy of American musicals over their British counterparts. Most of the time I'd be pretty much in agreement - there is a vitality and brashness about the American musical which is not, in general, matched by musical theatre from this side of the pond. But that doesn't mean there aren't unique British shows that just couldn't have been made in America and 'Salad Days' - at least going by the Riverside Studios revival - is one of these. A perfectly formed pice of absolute silliness that nevertheless managed to raise a tear when it finished, I was completely bowled over.
Julian Slade and Dorothy Fields put together a show that, on the one hand is about a magic piano, flying saucers and drinking den cabarets and, on the other, is a beautiful study of growing up, putting away childish things and moving into the world with your best friend by your side. When Timothy and Jane walk away from the Tramp and Minnie and the reprise of 'We Said We'd Never Look Back' fades gently away I'd dare anybody to remain completely unmoved.
The simple tunes, neat rhymes and plainly barking mad story are all played straight down the line in a healthily thick BBC English style. Everyone appears to be having a great time and you almost wish you were joining in. A few lucky members of the audience get that chance as the power of Minnie even manages to get a few people off the front couple of rows and dancing along.
High praise should be distributed widely amongst the entire cast but I would single out Katie Moore for her perfect renditions of 'I Sit in the Sun' and 'The Time of My Life'. Just superb.
Bill Count: 1
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