Review: All or Nothing at New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham

Mod culture; something that has always fascinated me. From the clothes, to the music and of course, the scooters. However, apart from the occasional cultural references to Mod vs Rockers and watching Quadrophenia a handful of times, there was still a lot for me to learn about Mods.

I am guilty of stereotyping the 60s as just Mersey Beat and Motown. However, to my surprise, an evening spent at the theatre gave me a whole new perspective on Mod culture and made me realise just how cool the 60s were, past The Beatles and Cilla Black.

All or Nothing, which is currently on stage at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre, tells the story of the true Mod scene; the working class free spirits who chose to stick two fingers up to society and live life on their Lambrettas and Vespas.

The show, which is based on band The Small Faces, encapsulated all that is Mod. Featuring the bands biggest hits, including Whatcha Gonna Do About It, Lazy Sunday, Tin Soldier, Sha La La La Lee, and of course, All Or Nothing.

Don’t get me wrong, the show features everything you would put into the Mod category; the scooters, the snazzy trousers and a handful of testosterone. However, by telling the story of one of the biggest Mod bands of all time alongside it all reminded the audience that what was behind all these contributing factors was, of course, the music.

A Mod musical could have been based on bands from The Jam to The Who; but where would the fun be in that? The factor that makes the show such a success is that not many of us, apart from the huge fans in the audience, really know about The Small Faces – but come away with a brand new love and respect for the group.

The show is narrated by Chris Simmons, who plays the role of Steve Marriott, the lead singer of The Small Faces. Steve Marriott passed away at the age of just 44 in 1991, and the show is a look back at the success that the band achieved from his eyes.

Written by Carol Harrison and directed by Tony McHale, the show is absolutely hilarious to say the least. Russell Floyd, who takes on the role of Don Arden, The Small Faces manager is by far one of the best characters, along with Samuel Pope, who played the role of a young Steve Marriott and Melissa Brown-Taylor, who takes on the role of the adorable PP Arnold.

However, the show is also incredibly emotional. The evening is thoughtfully planned into two sections; the first half being the rise of The Small Faces, and the second half being the turbulent fall. We also learned about how the band was corrupted by their management team and how many of them were left without a penny to their name, even with all their success.

Each song was performed with incredible passion and by the end of the evening, the audience were desperate to get onto their feet and join in. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened and the cast ended the night with a melody of songs, dancing and even encouraged members of the audience, many of whom were rocking a fantastic Mod style of their own, to get on the stage and join them.

All or Nothing is simply brilliant and manages to take each audience member back to the swinging, and arguably more simple times of the 60s.

All or Nothing is on stage at the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until April 8. The show returns to the Midlands in June at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

All or Nothing rating: 9/10