by Alan Parker, words & music by Paul Williams
Synopsis
Bugsy Malone as you've never seen it before - ten years older and a whole lot funnier! In true Purple Theatre style we bring you Bugsy Malone - a musical with a difference!
Set in downtown New York in the middle of the prohibition era, Bugsy Malone tells the tale of gangster warfare in a world where bullets have been replaced with custard pies and flour bombs. Fat Sam Stacetto has the monopoly on the illegal sarsaparilla trade and everything seems to be running smoothly at the Grand Slam Speakeasy, the hottest night-spot in town. Then along comes Dandy Dan and his gang of hoodlums, armed to the teeth with the new and improved Splurge guns - not a weapon to trifle with!
Enter Bugsy Malone - city slicker and smoothie extraordinaire - the man of every girl's dreams and every cop's nightmares.
As each side fights for supremacy, the custard starts flying. Will Dandy Dan cream off the opposition. Will Fat Sam be turned into a giant knickerbocker glory? Will it all end in a sticky mess, or will they get their just desserts?
Review
Uxbridge Gazette
Splat! The Malone gang is back on the gunge. This comic romp was a musical with a difference. Set in 1920s New York, the gangsters fire gunge from their guns instead of bullets.And they are not played by adults, instead by...children.
Bugsy Malone was made famous by the film with Jodie Foster and this version by the Purple Theatre Company is equally successful.
Although more young adults than children, there were exceptional performances from many of the young performers. Tom Wilton as Bugsy and Peter Burnett as Fat Sam stole the show. Tom was perfect for the role with his Italian looks and superb comic timing. At times his facial expressions made him look like a caricature from a Dick Tracey comic book.
Ian Jackman was excellent as the humble cleaner Fizzy, and captivated the audience with a soulful version of "Tomorrow Never Comes".
The large company captured the chaos and comedy of the play well, and I particularly enjoyed watching the buffoonery of Fat Sam's gang and the international reporters getting gunged. Directors Brett Alderton and Martin Veale have clearly worked hard on their show and acting, music and costume all came together. The Purple Theatre Company is a group which puts some of its adult contemporaries to shame.
Nigel de Sousa
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Past Productions
