The Drifters Girl, Southampton Mayflower Theatre

SOUTHAMPTON’S Mayflower Theatre will open the UK tour of the 2022 Olivier Award nominated new musical The Drifters Girl.

On stage from 12th to 16th September, the hit show comes direct from the West End featuring a soundtrack packed full of iconic Drifters hits including Saturday Night At The Movies, Save The Last Dance For Me, and Stand By Me.

Directed by Jonathan Church, The Drifters Girl is based on an idea by Tina Treadwell and is co-created by Beverley Knight, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud; and the book by Ed Curtis.

Carly Mercedes Dyer, former star of Six the Musical, will play music industry change-maker, Faye Treadwell. Alongside her the cast will feature Ashford Campbell, Miles Anthony, Tarik Frimpong and Dalton Harris, who won The X Factor in 2018.

Having played to packed houses at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End, the show tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups, and the truth about the woman who made it. Faye Treadwell is the legendary manager of The Drifters who fought for three decades alongside her husband George Treadwell to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.

From the highs of hit records and sell-out tours to the lows of legal battles and personal tragedy, The Drifters Girl charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African American female music manager, and how she refused to ever give up on the group she loved.

Thirty years and hundreds of hit songs later, there is no doubt that Faye Treadwell was and always will be, The Drifters Girl.

Tickets are priced £16.50 to £54.50, but we’ve teamed up with the Mayflower Theatre to give two lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets in our What’s On competition. For a chance to win see the entry form on page 9 of this week’s paper.

For more information and show bookings, visit www.mayflower.org.uk or call the box office on 02380 711811.