Review: FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE/Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate 15 Dec 2021 – 16 Jan 2022

‘Everything about this musical is great!’ ★★★★★

Everyone who enjoys jazz laced Rhythm and Blues which sounds and looks truly authentic should get along to see this stylish show. This musical by Clarke Peters features Louis Jordan’s greatest hits ingeniously worked into a romantic story of true love. 

Troubled by a break-up and no money, Nomax is drowning his sorrows when out of the radio step 5 guys named Moe. As they take him on an entertaining journey to get his life back on track, booze continues to get the better of him, until the story is resolved, beautifully. 

Everything about this musical is great! Thoroughly entertaining with much to admire, it has West End show standards at pub theatre prices with an excellent band, performers, direction, choreography … I could go on. The musical numbers are one hit after another with an opportunity for audience participation testing everyone’s ability to keep the rhythm with ‘Push Ka Pi Shi Pie’.

My favourite performance of the night was Kieran McGinn’s Four Eyed Moe. All six performers had superb voices and distinct characters, but McGinn had an extra special rapport with the audience and a particularly elegant appearance in his dance routines. The expert costume design by Jean Gray made sure that the performers were the best dressed guys on stage this year, cool at one end of the show and distinctly glamorous at the other end. 

Also, a huge round of applause for director and choreographer Mykal Rand who is revisiting the show having already helped with the creation for Five Guys Named Moe at Marble Arch. His experience shows in the immaculate construction of the musical numbers seamlessly incorporating dance.  The choreography alone could blow your mind, move over Fred Astaire! It is suave, it is sophisticated, and it keeps the performers in character.

To finish I would also like to praise Juan Jackson as the lovelorn Nomax gradually becoming more inebriated, played with lovable selfish churlishness. He held the show’s storyline together keeping Nomax’s journey in sight until the joyful end.

The show runs until 16 January and for those who need the extra confidence to get along to the venue, there are socially distanced performances on 28 December and 4 January.

Photography credit: Timothy Kelly

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE

A musical by CLARKE PETERS

featuring LOUIS JORDAN’S Greatest Hits

15th December 2021 – 16th January 2022 | Socially distanced performances 28th December & 4th January

Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate Village, London N6 4BD

Box Office: https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173617188/events/428417763

Performers - AJ Lewis, Andre Coulson, Juan Jackson, Kieran McGinn, KM Drew Boateng and Lawrence Rowe

Director / Choreographer – Mykal Rand

Musical Director – Griffin Jenkins

Musical Supervisor and conducted - John Reddel

Lighting Designer – Timothy Kelly

Set Designer – Ryan Webster

Sound Designer – Toby Burrow

Casting – Pearson Casting

Producer – Ovation

Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International and Cameron Mackintosh

Reviewer: Heather Jeffery is Editor of London Pub Theatres Magazine