The 27 Club

The 27 Club is a louche, sexy musical play about the mysterious tendency of rock and roll stars to die before their 28th birthday. In it, a group of highly skilled musicians perform songs by the deathly club’s most famous members, from blues singer Robert Johnson (whom they credit as being its founding member) to Amy Winehouse (its latest addition), taking in Brian Jones, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain en route. What risks being a Stars in Your Eyes-style jukebox musical (however excellently performed) is just about held together via the device of a devilish host figure (played by the menacingly smooth Nicky Elliot), whose semi-musical narration manages to impose some sort of unifying structure.

Similarly the impersonations, unaided for the most part by costume, seem more sinister necromancy than copy-cat tribute act. Special mention should go to the two female members of the ensemble, who not only revivify a bewildering number of female singers (Angie Johnson’s triumphantly sexy Janis Joplin is particularly good), but also give pretty good impressions of some male musical figures including a mercilessly nasal Keith Richards.

Where criticisms do come it is in relation to the play’s script, which is heavy with cliché (Joplin is described as “a lamb to the slaughter” and Amy Winehouse as a “star” who “fell”) and often sounds as if it was lifted verbatim from a conspiracy website. A slick and seductive production, if not one which leaves a lasting impression.