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Takeaway

Musical in 2 acts; Book and Lyrics by Robert Lee; Music by Leon Ko

Theatre Royal Stratford East, London - 10 June 2011 - 09 July 2011 (Season)

Synopsis

Takeaway is a new musical about being young, British and hopelessly confused and is set in London’s East End. It tells the story of Eddie Woo who is at a bit of a crossroads to say the least. . He is a youthful dreamer who has failed his A-Levels (again), is wannabe ladies’ man juggling two girlfriends, who works day and night in his father’s Chinese takeaway which he manages (badly) . In fact, he’s never happier than when he wanders into daydreams of escaping the everyday and being like his idol, Tom Jones.

Story

Wanting to sing like Welsh warbler Tom Jones; that's the fantasy of Eddie Woo shaking off the strictures of his widowed father in the Chinese takeaway and slipping into the pub talent competition with Dillon the delivery girl.

Dillon is one of the many girlfriends Eddie strings along, the others represented by a singing trio.

It's quite a surprise, therefore, when Eddie switches off his Tom Jones womanising button and discovers his inner Barry Manilow, waxing soft and syrupy with his guitar-strumming pal Reese. They sing a duet in boxer shorts, which prepares us for the underwear bombardment at the final curtain; though it was the women in the audience who threw those items at Tom Jones, not he at them.

There is a political subtext of exploitation, highlighted in the case of the Morecambe cockle pickers, used as an excuse for the girls to disguise themselves as the Eastern Asian Liberation Army and "rescue" Eddie from slavery.

Yellow banners and a dancing dragon create a welcome change from Eddie's relationship with his dad who wants him to continue the family business.

Eddie's tale lends proof to the fact that there's no escape from your background. Even Tom Jones knows that.