'Lacking wit and spice,' Lorna Irvine reviews Oran Mor's latest.
A nostalgic piece of West Coast candyfloss, Butterfly Kiss is more Dreamboats And Petticoats than Dave Anderson's usual polemic.
Set in the innocent days of 1960, Jack Mullen and Katie Barnett play Anderson's son and love interest respectively, and this is a musical full of Glasgow banter and seasoned with the teenage love of all things Americana: Elvis, Sandra Dee, twisting, milkshakes and Doris Day.
Sadly, neither the songs nor storyline impress; the poignancy Anderson strives for in the father/son relationship never really comes off. However, Anderson's deadpan charm is always worth a giggle, and Barnett camps it up with gusto throughout, especially while acknowledging the lack of props ("Now I'm playing a rockpool'') and flirting with puppets. The highlights have to be a surreal encounter between Jimmy Logan and General Eisenhower, and a small barb against Protestant bigotry.
Not without its moments then, but lacking the wit and spice of Anderson's best work.
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