UK Theatre Network

It’s just another day in down-town Newcastle as under-employed architect Phil sits in his high-rise office, brooding over the post-industrial cityscape and waiting for the hands on the clock to strike “elevensies”.  But his caffeine cravings are interrupted when a sultry saxophone solo announces the arrival of a mysterious blonde.  Ella has sashayed into his life in search of a rare recording by one of the early jazz greats, Buddy Bolden.  There are just two flaws in her plan: she’s in the wrong office (the private dick’s downstairs); and Buddy Bolden never cut a record.

Phil’s intrigue is further piqued by hot information from his caffeine-dealer, Frank-from-the-coffee-shop, who gives him the low-down on a dodgy-sounding city regeneration scheme being proposed by a bunch of southerners (boo, hiss).  This leads our accidental PI to infiltrate Fat Jack’s jazz club, and later crash an invitation-only urban planning presentation under cover of a tray of award-winning panninis.  The consequences are unexpectedly rewarding for Phil, until the world-wide recession throws in a wild card.

If you enjoyed Alan Plater’s classic 1985 TV comedy-drama The Beiderbecke Affair, then you’ll love his new work Looking for Buddy, which contains many of the same eclectic ingredients – the spoof film noir style, a critique of capitalism filtered through the prism of local government, and the quest for a rare jazz record.  But fittingly Looking for Buddy isn’t merely a comedy-drama, but also a musical, so we also get the huge bonus of brand new songs composed by band leader Alan Barnes, and a live jazz quartet led by musical director Howard Gray (nicely integrated with the action).

Tim Healy (Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Billy Elliot) takes centre-stage as a convincingly ramshackle Phil, soliloquising in the best hard-bitten, semi-confessional Chandleresque manner.  Plater’s dry northern humour is delivered by the whole cast in a clever hybrid of broad Geordie and Philip Marlowe, which at first takes a little adjustment for Bolton-based ears.  And although some of the local references will make more sense when the production transfers to Newcastle, the enthusiasm and warmth of the multi-talented cast needs no gloss or translation.

Joe Stathers-Tracey has designed a continuous multi-media backdrop to flesh out the locations, but frankly the script, music and acting evoke the sense of time and place so well that it seems almost superfluous.  Director Mark Babych has come up with yet another production which is a credit to the Octagon – it’s fantastic that a whole new audience on the other side of the country will have the opportunity to experience it too.

Looking For Buddy is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 25 April 2009

Tickets: from £9.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm

Matinees: Wednesday 15 April and Saturday 25 April @ 2pm

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk