Festival Fringe Reviews
- The City Club
- Rating *****
Let the Boogie Woogie Roll
As in the Batman comics, New York by day turns to Gotham City by night and the dark mean streets are a dangerous place. Meet the smooth-talking Mr Tough, who works for the local mobster and The Lieutenant, in smart coat and spats, who both want a slice of the profits. So who can Chaz trust - Jake the Clarion reporter, Doc the barman, Parker the pianist or the sultry singer, Maddy? This new musical by Glenn M Stewart blends classic blues songs with a punchy dialogue as hardboiled as any Raymond Chandler novel.
The Pleasance Dome bar creates an authentic City Club featuring a bar, terrific band, beautiful silk gowns, neat hairstyles, tables, lamps, champagne coupes etc - but a little more integrated acting/singing around the audience would enhance the mood. This is a highly professional, slick and entertaining show, with a perfectly cast ensemble. In a nutshell - The Godfather meets Sally Bowles, a sexy, sophisticated cabaret where glamorous girls and the scintillating sound of the Blues mask a world of corruption and murder. Let the Boogie Woogie Roll.
When and Where
Vivien Devlin, August 2004
Return to Index of 2004 Fringe Reviews.
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
Welcome to the City Club downtown somewhere in Chicago or maybe New York, late 1920s/ early 30s. The glamorous hostess Crystal shows you to your seat, order a martini, sit back and listen to Prince, the band's smoky-voiced lead singer. At a spotlit table, debonair Chaz (a young Al Pacino), the owner, sips a glass of Moet to toast his new classy nightclub where the music is cool, the bourbon is ice-cold and the dancing girls Rose and Lily are hot, sweet and blonde.
Pleasance Dome. (Venue No. 23), 1 Bristo Square. Runs to 30 August at 8.30pm, not 17th.
