'Five Guys Named Moe' at Stratford

Just before my trip to Athens a few weeks ago we went to see 'Five Guys Named Moe' at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, and enjoyed it so much that we went back again this week. Chris saw the original production, also at Stratford, 20 years ago but I've never seen it before.

It's the sorry tale of Nomax who's been thrown out by his girlfriend and he's holed up in a motel with his Louis Jordan records, drinking himself silly and he's a sad sight. Then he's swallowed by his record player (as you are) and ends up with his five guardian angels, all of whom are named Moe. They take him on a journey through relationships, understanding women and self-confidence through the medium of song and dance before he goes back to his motel room to, well, I'll leave that for you to find out.

The set was very simple, just a large podium for the six-piece band and lots of space for the Moes to do their stuff, all dressed in brightly coloured zoot suits, looking well smooth and cool. The story is told very effectively through the songs of Louis Jordan and others, with different Moe's taking lead vocals and dominating the stage, with Nomax sometimes joining in, sometimes watching. Nomax was played by Clarke Peters who also wrote the musical and starred in it as Four-Eyed Moe 20 years ago and it was great to see him on stage, especially giggling along with the audience a few times.

The Moes were all excellent - Ashley Campbell, Christopher Colquhoun, Carlton Connell, Peter Hazel and Horace Oliver - singing and dancing their hearts out and always in character, including during the conga line that took us up onto the stage at the end of the first half. I was particularly impressed by Christopher as Big Moe and he has some great songs with some audience participation, joining in the songs. My favourite moment was when the leaflets fluttered down from the ceiling with the lyrics to chorus of 'Push Ka Pi Shee Pie', my favourite kind of pie from now on!

As you can guess, I loved it! Seeing it the first time on the evening of my last day at work before a holiday was the perfect way to start relaxing, with a big smile plastered over my face for most of the evening - great stuff! It's a very happy and upbeat show and the cast were all excellent. We also met Clarke Peters after each show which was a great pleasure, a very gracious gentleman, happy to chat for a few minutes and engage with his audience. Here's hoping the show transfers to the West End - I'll definitely be in the audience for my share of push ka pi shee pie!