Omigod, I so can’t believe I just saw that! Mod is a brash American import exploring teenage angst amid Beatle-mania as the infamous group set out on their tour of the States. However, ‘Beatle-mania’ in this production by Infinity Rep Theatre Company, of Westchester, NY, is tantamount to a gaggle of girls running around screaming for the best part of an hour - and when they wear headsets their screams are all the more amplified, something which didn’t sit comfortably with my eardrums.
This show charts the story of Rory who wants to become the fifth Beatle, falling in love along the way. Tom Oliverio plays the character well as he embarks on his bid to join the famous four.
The production values were, however, weakened by the stage being plunged into blackout after almost every scene, while a noisy and clumsy realignment of the set was carried out. I would have perhaps enjoyed this performance if there had been more flow between each scene.
Although composer/lyricist George Griggs had some interesting musical moments in the score, some of the lyrics were too obvious and after sleeping on it, the music wasn’t particularly memorable.
The youthful cast can take some comfort in the fact that they came across as enthusiastic and that they, at least, were enjoying what they were doing. Overall the voices were weak and suffered from poor intonation and a lack of support. Despite bum notes galore, there were some exceptions - Ali Gib, who plays Susan, had a pleasing voice, although her ukulele playing, which was out of sync with the backing track, was unfortunate.
At £12.50 for a seat at this show, Mod simply isn’t the ticket.
