This new musical charts the rise to fame of the famous Welsh “Voice” Tom Jones. Starting in his humble beginnings in Pontypridd, South Wales we learn quickly of his teenage marriage to his beloved wife Linda and then of the union of what will become his band, as this very much becomes the story of Tom Scott and the Senators as much as it is the making of Tom Jones as we know him today.
A simple design and good lighting help the story move along with good pace and in a particularly slick style, incorporating projection, props and furniture to move settings along effectively. None of this however rescues the narrative which is underwhelming and frankly quite slow. I glanced at my watch 15 minutes into the show and by this point we had only had one musical number in the form of the opening ensemble number and it was not until we were well into over 30 minutes that we get more music in the form of Tom singing with the band. This is less a “jukebox musical” in the style of say Mamma Mia, than a musical in the sense of a “play with songs” such as Once. This may also have been part of what lacked in this production as the musical numbers didn’t drive the narrative along and very much sat alongside the unfolding narrative, which is established as essentially focusing upon how Tom, Linda and the band continue to hope they will one day get a lucky break and Tom be recognised for the star we know he will become. In this, perhaps, lies the problem, as we know Tom makes it in the end there is little sense of us worrying for him and really the only thing holding him back boils down to whether he will just give up on his own dream or “listen to the voice in his heart”; due to this the production lacks the tension and drama needed to really keep us that interested throughout.
There are some nice moments however, particularly with the unfolding relationship with wife Linda (Elin Phillips) where we see a slightly more three dimensional side to Tom and we are led to believe that he is very much where he is today because of her and her belief in him. Phillips captures an emotional courage in the role throughout and a real strength to the character, besides one awkward drunken scene which could have been played a little more effectively and believably. The ensemble is also excellent with all of them clearly being very talented musicians and the live band on stage adds an extra dimension to the show which does go in its favour. However, these moments are balanced by several that simply do not work such as the frankly odd drum sequence to punctuate Tom’s “violent side” in his youth with the bar brawl that was clumsily “choreographed” and really added very little to the narrative at all. Furthermore, the band were simply staged far too far back and lacked connection with the audience as they mostly stood in a line playing their respective instruments – It was a saving grace when Tom actually came forward to sing to us and make a connection.
The star of the production in all senses is Kit Orton as Tom. His stage presence is excellent and he presents us with so much more than simply his impression of Tom Jones, giving us a striking vocal performance, but perhaps more importantly, delivering the physicality of the role to near perfection.
It is a real shame that whilst the bones of a good production are all here, they lack the meat for this talented company to really do anything with. Some very weak dialogue and odd directorial choices often leave you questioning the real driving force behind this. Is it merely a story of how one can rise to fame against the odds? Is it a perspective on luck? If the final moments where Linda sings to Tom and her light is last to fade are anything to reflect on, I wonder if actually this is to do with the love of one’s family and how with the right support we can do anything – trust that voice in your heart?
Many more questions are raised than answered in this production and many of them arriving at the very end, such as why we have not heard Tom’s biggest hits until the finale, in a medley which appears to only really be there to satisfy an audience which has probably spent two hours waiting for them to come. Whilst many will enjoy this production, largely due to its very strong performers, when you strip back the nostalgia we are left with little else.
Reviewer: Ashley Price
Reviewed: 12th April 2016
