McVicar

Despite the excellent teamwork of Daltrey and Faith, a cracking cast, and inspiring raw material, this musical version of Scum-meets-Out somehow buries these advantages deep inside a saucy action thriller format. Having read the headlines, bought the book, etc, few surprises are left: why no mention of the real life characters (Charlie Richardson, Ian Brady) of the prison inmates? Though it's good to see someone Escape from Durham rather than Alcatraz, the dependable British fascination with villains is played out once too often for anyone to care, and leaves McVicar's unique insights into crime more or less untouched. If you want to see Daltrey prove himself a straight actor, see it; otherwise read the book. DMacp.