The Stage

Boogie Nights

Published Monday 19 July 2004 at 09:55 by Robin Duke

Seven years since Jon Conway and script associates Shane Richie and Terry Morrison first staged their semi-autobiographical story-and-song reminiscences of the seventies and it is still a work in progress.

It remains thin on plot and laden with music but it has adapted to its current cast and now incorporates one of the country’s most popular stand-up comedians and the youngest member of the world’s first multimillion-selling boy bands.

Jimmy Osmond has genuine American stage charisma. Shoehorned into the story, he first appears in cabaret mode with a short selection of Osmonds hits and a sample of his new work - in modern suit and consummately professional style.

Later he re-emerges in more seventies mode - including his own Long Haired Lover From Liverpool hit with flashback projections - and again for enthusiastic duets with Billy Pearce.

The comedian clearly tries to play it straight for his stage musical debut. Mostly he manages to but it clearly galls to only be able to add the occasional one-liner to his role as young Roddy, torn between ambition and hormones.

Petrina Johnson is not the most obvious choice as his love interest Debbie - a good voice but as unlikely to be strutting in the Boogie Nights disco as Pearce himself.

More suited by far is Veronica Hart as sexy clubland singer Lorraine, a temptress whose singing and dancing talents would have talked Roddy into anything.

Jayne Doyle is another scene stealer - a future Su Pollard in the making - and Don Crann winningly plays Roddy’s dad in the style of Father Ted’s permanently inebriated Jack.

The addition of Osmond means the loss of a lot of the usual dance contest climax but he is the main selling point and there’s still plenty to singalong to.

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