Viva Youth Theatre have an excellent record of success at the Fringe. Two years ago they performed a fun musical, Back to the Eighties, about an American High School Prom. Last year, in a much more serious vein it was Willy Russells Blood Brothers. This year theyve gone back to fun with A Slice of Saturday Night, and fun it is too, particularly for those of us who actually remember the 1960s.
The entire musical is set on a Saturday night in the Club-a-Go-Go, owned and run by Eric, an aging rocker, who seems to be very hard but actually has a heart of gold. The customers are regulars, who come in every Saturday and do exactly the same things each time, dance, flirt, drink and fight. We meet Rick, whos seventeen and still, despite all his best efforts, a virgin, Gary, who has a girlfriend, Sue, but chases after every woman he can, Terry, whos so out of it, he hardly knows where he is, and Eddie the joker, who makes a bet involving frigid Bridget that he seems very unlikely to be able to win.
The songs were, as far as I know, written specifically for this show but deliberately seem very familiar. At times it appears to be the start of a song by, among others, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five or The Kinks, but then changes into something totally different. The singing is extremely good by all the cast.
Definitely a feel-good musical and a very enjoyable production. It will certainly get you on your feet dancing.
