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| The Bugle Boys |
Written and
Directed by John Livings.
The Famous
Spiegeltent.
Civic
Square, Canberra. 25.02.2016
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens.
The Andrews
Sisters have a lot to answer for. Since the 1940’s when they were at the height
of their fame they have spawned countless copy-cat look-alike acts, but
perhaps none more outrageous than the drag trio, Bugle Boys.
Dressed in
spiffy blue satin, Broadway version, military uniforms, The Bugle Boys (Jon
Jackson as Maxine, Michael Dalton as Patty, and Andrew Dessman as La Verne)
belt out the songs which made the Andrew singers household names.
“Rum and
Coca-Cola”, Bei Mir Bist Du Shon”, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “ Boogie
Woogie Bugle Boy”, all got their moment in the spotlight, as did “Pistol Packin Mama”, “The Three Caballeros”
and “Lullaby of Broadway”. Brad Riddell provided energetic accompaniment and
prompting from the piano, with some help from brassy click tapes.
Although the
harmonies were rather wayward, and the choreography less than flawlessly
executed, the voices were their own, and the supportive audience spontaneously
joined in the singing of their favourites. At one point, Jon Jackson delivered a
surprisingly sweet version of “I Wanna be Loved” in crystalline soprano.
It was not
all sweetness and light however. Between songs, the Bugle Boys engaged in some
sisterly bickering as they shared details of their glittering career
trajectory. Although they shared names
and their careers had been quite similar to that of the Andrew Sisters, details
which emerged of the Bugle Boys private lives, gave some clues as to why they
are unlikely to ever achieve the sort of fame accorded to the Andrew Sisters,
despite their unlikely ambition to appear on Broadway.
As luck
would have it, the Bugle Boys’ one Canberra performance took place in The
Famous Spiegletent, late afternoon on a hot summer day. The near 40 degree heat
clearly took its toll, because despite a clever script, and supportive
audience, they often squandered laughs with lacklustre delivery, exhibiting little
of the pace and precision expected from an act of their reputation.
