Fat Sam’s Grand Slam Speakeasy is your home sweet home in 1930s Chicago Gangland. 

Packed with great songs, including “My Name is Talullah”, “Tomorrow” and “You Give a Little Love”  its a toe-tapping, fun-filled time at Fat Sam’s – the greatest joint in town.

Review

... If you haven't guessed by now that I've been to see the brilliant Kidz R Us production of Bugsy Malone, then you might want too and get your pulse checked.  Did I mention that it was brilliant? Well it was.  From that darkened theatre, the show opens with the eponymous "Bugsy Malone" in which we meet the cool hero of the piece.  It's followed by a blast of sound, colour and movement that is "Fat Sam's Grand Slam", taking the audience right into Fat Sam's Speakeasy, the centre of the action.  From there, the show moves with a pace and style that, while it should come as no surprise after all these years, still hits you like a refreshing wave of enthusiasm and good old fashioned quality performance.

The songs are catchy and really stick in your mind.  "Tomorrow" speaks of the growing disillusion of always being fobbed off while "Bad Guys" (We became the best at being bad) celebrates the criminal career, then the final song of Act 1, "I'm Feeling Fine" in your correspondent's fallible opinion, the best deserving a profile beyond the show.

Because of the ages of the performers, there are two casts for this show.  However, the performances that we enjoyed (and I'm sure this will be true for both casts) were well directed, well rehearsed and delivered with the kind of gusto and razzmatazz that always marks out Kidz shows as great value entertainment.  You've doubtless heard it all before but this company takes its work seriously.  And that runs throughout the show.  Great performances are enhanced with great ideas and the show's origins, in Alan Parker's 1976 musical film written for young performers, are reflected in the weapons chosen by the mobsters in the story of greed ,avarice and dirty dealing; splurge guns that fire custard, and custard pies.

John Hancock: St Ives Times & Echo.