The Edinburgh Guide

Viva Youth Theatre! is not just the name of this company from Cambridgeshire but the sentiments that this excellent production engenders. A show without an obvious lead has a cast of twelve with quality throughout.
The story is set in a second-rate nightclub in a provincial English town - a nostalgic look back to the mating rituals of the 1960s dance club. The show is packed with great songs, and the cast are at ease when singing solo, duets and harmonies. The lyrics are clever and you do wonder why this show has had such limited outings in the west end. Numbers such as the comic "Twiggy" by Sue, and the plaintive "Seventeen" by Sharon together with "Love on Our Side" with Terry and Shirl were memorable, while the others were merely very good.
One of the highlights is the bits of business that the cast maintain throughout reacting to the main action without detracting from it. The group of five girls started this show with a bang with slick choreography and this standard was maintained by the lads who worked well together and added some of the best comedy moments.
Eric, the club owner and ageing dancer was very credible as their confidant and led the audience participation in Eric's "Hokey Cokey." This number demonstrated how confident these young people were in their ability to produce a quality show. Apart from playing their parts, some of the lads interchanged as musicians in the band held together by the keyboard player.
The company describe themselves as a team, and if football clubs could produce 90 minutes of this standard of entertainment then their fans would be very happy!

 Broadway Baby

Viva Youth Theatre have an excellent record of success at the Fringe. Two years ago they performed a fun musical, ‘Back to the Eighties’, about an American High School Prom. Last year, in a much more serious vein it was Willy Russell’s ‘Blood Brothers’. This year they’ve gone back to fun with ‘A Slice of Saturday Night’, and fun it is too, particularly for those of us who actually remember the 1960’s.

The entire musical is set on a Saturday night in the Club-a-Go-Go, owned and run by Eric, an aging rocker, who seems to be very hard but actually has a heart of gold. The customers are regulars, who come in every Saturday and do exactly the same things each time, dance, flirt, drink and fight. We meet Rick, who’s seventeen and still, despite all his best efforts, a virgin, Gary, who has a girlfriend, Sue, but chases after every woman he can, Terry, who’s so out of it, he hardly knows where he is, and Eddie the joker, who makes a bet involving frigid Bridget that he seems very unlikely to be able to win.
The songs were, as far as I know, written specifically for this show but deliberately seem very familiar. At times it appears to be the start of a song by, among others, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five or The Kinks, but then changes into something totally different. The singing is extremely good by all the cast.
Definitely a feel-good musical and a very enjoyable production. It will certainly get you on your feet dancing.

 One4Review.com

Viva Youth Theatre present their adaptation of the musical 'A Slice of Saturday Night', the worry with youth theatre productions of this show is that you tend to find that cast members are either too old or worse still too young. With the exception of Simon Thompson as Eric, the other cast members are about perfect ages for characters, this comes over in their understanding of some of the musical numbers.

This production has also added one or two extra characters from the original and on this that has worked perfectly. Most of the male characters join Ryan Aves in the band at the back of the stage at one point or other during the show. The casting director, directors and choreographer all deserve commendations for their work.
The cast themselves are not only superb performers, dancers, singers and musicians they are all so full of energy and enthusiasm it was an exhilarating experience. Each performer looked perfect for the parts and the voices were excellent. My only tiny complaint was that the acting area was a little too small. I have seen Eric’s hokey-cokey performed in many strange ways or even cut from the show but this was a new way to me and very very effective.
This Superb Slice of Saturday Night sadly has a short stay in Edinburgh, its excellent effervescent energy is entrancing experience it if you can.

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