Following in the footsteps of Beverley Knight and Felicia Boswell as Faye Treadwell in The Drifters Girl is a daunting prospect for Carly Mercedes Dyer.
“But I love a challenge,” says the Olivier Award nominee, “and I’m a completely different person.
“I’m not Beverly Knight, I’m not Felicia Boswell, I’m Carly Mercedes Dyer and I’m gonna give you my spin on it.”
Fresh from a run in London’s West End, where it played to packed houses, the musical is embarking on a UK and Ireland tour and comes to Woking’s New Victoria Theatre from Tuesday, November 21 to Saturday, November 25.
It brings the story of the legendary vocal group and the woman who helped turn them into global superstars to audiences around the country.
Carly, who was up for an Olivier as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her rave-reviewed turn in Anything Goes, saw the show in London and was intrigued to learn about Faye.
Faye managed The Drifters through the highs and lows of chart-topping hits and sold-out tours as well as multiple line-up changes and legal battles, and who gave them a second career when she moved the band to the UK in the early 1970s.
“She was tenacious, hugely intelligent and resilient,” the 36-year-old actress marvels.
“The show is about this woman who took on an industry which didn’t have women in managerial positions and because she was the first African-American female manager she was constantly overlooked and undermined.”
Does she think Faye, who bought out her partners and took over management of The Drifters full time after her husband George died in 1967, was ahead of her time?
“Absolutely. As an African-American woman in the record business she was ground-breaking and to persevere when people keep telling you ‘no’ and shutting down your ideas takes a lot of resilience.
“She really was ahead of her time because she could have easily just given up and gone home.”
Formed in 1953, The Drifters sold more than 200 million singles, including such huge hits as Save the Last Dance For Me, Under the Boardwalk, Saturday Night at the Movies, Kissin’ in the Back Row of the Movies and Come on Over to My Place, to name just a few.
They’ve also sold more than 100 million albums and in 1988 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Billy Joel.
The Drifters Girl, with a book by Ed Curtis, 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.
It is directed by Jonathan Church.
Tickets range from £13 to £57.50. Call the box office on 0844 871 7645 or see www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre
For help with bookings, go to https://help.atgtickets.com
Access assistance is available by calling 0333 009 5399 (https://www.atgtickets.com/access) and the theatre box office is open 90 minutes before each performance.