Monty Python's Spamalot

Monty Python's

Spamalot

Devonshire Park Theatre

Eastbourne

6-10 Feb 2018

(performance seen 6 Feb)

Cast

Bob Harms

Sarah Harlington

Rhys Owen

Johnathan Tweedle

Norton James

Stephen Arden

Marc Akinfolarin

Matthew Pennington

Shane McDaid

Grace Eccle

Gleanne Purcell Brown

Joel Benedict

Ryan Limb

7 years after it's last visit to Eastbourne the Monty Python search for the Holy Grail returns to Eastbourne.

However, the 2011 production was a much bigger budget production with numerous famous TV celebrities adding to the cost. It was also shown at the much larger Congress Theatre (currently closed for refurbishment).

The talented touring cast of Spamalot 2018

So with no famous names and a much smaller stage does this mean the current show is any less enjoyable than its more costly predecessor? 

Not in the slightest is the simple answer to that question. The cast may not be household names but they are all supremely talented West End performers with a plethora of famous productions adorning their previous credits.

I had forgotten just how funny Spamalot is and this cast had the huge Devonshire Park Theatre audience laughing from the moment the curtain was raised on Act 1. 

It was interesting listening to the thoughts of others. In particular those who weren't too sure they would enjoy it because they "weren't all that keen on Monty Python".

Those same people all said after the show that they were surprised just how much they enjoyed it  

I would urge anybody with similar fears about watching Spamalot to take the plunge and enjoy 2 hours of hilarious madness with incredible vocals throughout. I thought the acoustics were amazing throughout this show. The sound levels of the live band and the cast seemed to be perfectly adjusted for the auditorium.

For such a talented cast it does seem harsh to highlight any one individual but there was one performer who seemed to be first on the audience's "star of the show" list. Sarah Harlington's portrayal of the Lady Of The Lake is pure genius in every sense, from the superb vocals to her brilliant comedic mannerisms.

This is a very well booked show this week with very few seats remaining. If you need to "look on the bright side of life" with a really good laugh I can really recommend you snap those remaining seats up.

Meat Loaf last ever UK concert at Newbury Racecourse review

Well many artists international artists may have picked  London, Manchester or Birmingham for reportedly their last ever UK concert after 35 years of touring.

Meat Loaf, however, had something different in mind bestowing the last UK venue award to Newbury Racecourse !!

Not that more than 17,000 ticket holders were complaining.... the atmosphere was electric!

The gig on Saturday 17th August came at the end of a days racing at the course on "Ladies Day".

Meat Loaf Newbury Racecourse 2013

So, what was the weather like for Meat's last memories of the UK? Well typically British is the fair answer to that. Summer it may have been but the wind and the rain chose their moments carefully choosing show time to make their presence really felt.

But I don't think anybody really cared. Apart from maybe those ladies who had really made a fashion statement for "ladies day" with summer dresses and posh hats looking somewhat out of place in the deluge.

For 65 years of age I didn't see anybody disappointed in Meatloaf's performance. No he can't belt across the stage as he used to  and perhaps the vocals aren't quite what they used to be but he is still a thoroughly entertaining performer. Helping over seventeen thousand people forget the vile weather was no mean feat for a guy who has had a few medical problems in recent years.

Amidst rumours she had been sacked, long time duet partner Patti Russo may not have been there but the two female singers backing Meat did a brilliant job as you will be able to see from the video above.

Bat Out Of Hell, I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that) and You took the words right out of my mouth were amongst the greatest Meat Loaf hits on the playlist. There were a few mutters of disappointment that Two out of three ain't bad wasn't amongst them but you can't please everybody.

Was this swan song in Newbury really Meat's final UK gig? Well right now he is returning to The States for an indefinite period performing in Las Vegas.

Meat Loaf Newbury Racecourse 2013

With some artists the temptation to perform abroad again has become too great and after a few years there's been yet another "comeback" or indeed another "farewell" tour.

But something along these lines feels a little less likely here and Meat's health is probably the key. Having passed out on stage twice in recent years and having had treatment for a cyst on the vocal cords one must wonder if a "live where you work" stint in Vegas is far more sensible? Perhaps he has decided "Heaven can wait" a while longer and to ease his foot off the gas pedal a little from now on?

Only time will tell but it really does look like Newbury, Berkshire might just go down in the history books as the town which hosted Meat Loaf's last ever UK concert and a rocking good one at that!

Spamalot Congress Theatre Eastbourne

Spamalot

Congress Theatre

Eastbourne

22-26 March 2011

Show seen 23 March

Cast

King Arthur - Phil Jupitus
Patsy - Todd Carty
The Lady Of The Lake - Jessica Martin

also

Robin Armstrong
Samuel Holmes
David Langham
Simon Lipkin
Graham MacDuff
Eric Idle (video)
Philip Catchpole
Rachel Knowles
Kit Orton
Amy Papa
Tim Bonser

Paul Bullion

Persephone Fitzpatrick

Well I think most people must be aware that this is the musical version of Monty Python and The Holy Grail? Monty Python was a controversial TV series you either loved or loathed. It was screened by the BBC from 1969 to 1974 and has resulted in spin offs such as the 'Holy Grail' and 'Life of Brian' movies, books and even this tour!

Only 500 or so people in the Eastbourne audience for this performance. But I don't think that has much to do with the shows quality but more with Eastbourne's demographics. Put it this way I can't see many of Eastbourne's more devout elderly churchgoers going along to pay homage to Eric Idle!

However if, like me, you're an atheist or despite being religious you are equipped with a good sense of humour then this is a great show just to have a bloody good laugh. I even suspect that many in the audience were a bit like my wife - going along to keep the other half happy and swearing they wouldn't like it.

I think it's always a good thing if a show can get an "I enjoyed that" comment from somebody who swears they are going to hate every minute! This production managed it though.

'Holy Grail' is certainly not the most controversial God-mocking tale that could be told on stage. 'Life of Brian' is far more likely to cause offence. Personally I'd love to see this happen. Thanks to being the victim of a car-keying pastor together with his strange beliefs including that council flower beds are God's provision for people who can't afford florists (he was the final cause of my non-belief) I'm always up for a bit of religious humour.

In this production we have King Arthur in his hilarious search from the 'Holy Grail'. The Spamalot tour has four well known personalities covering the role and Eastbourne was rewarded with comedian Phil Jupitus.

I have to be honest I don't watch a lot of telly and I wasn't too familiar with Jupitus but I thought he was excellent as the monarch as he trekked from country to country in search of his quest.

Most of his time on stage he is accompanied by former Eastenders and Dancing On Ice star Todd Carty. Carty couldn't be any better in playing the ruler's assistant Patsy. With quite possibly the funniest role in the whole show everything about Patsy raises a laugh. The script, the facial expressions and of course those unforgettable coconuts! Whilst he may be touring with 4 different Arthurs and 3 ladies of the lake Todd is more than happy to be undertaking the whole tour. He has been quoted as saying this is his favourite role since he played 'Tucker Jenkins' in Grange Hill.

Todd also gets the privilege of singing the key track "Always look on the bright side of life" and a key Patsy moment has to be his hysterical performance during  the company's delivery of "I'm all alone".

The multi talented Jessica Martin plays King Arthur's love interest, The Lady Of The Lake. This actress, comedienne and former Spitting image impressionist is great and 'The song that goes like this' and its reprise has to be one of her highlights.

Those may be the 'stars' but let's not forget the others who all contribute to make this a great show. Samuel Holmes, David Langham, Simon Lipkin and Graham MacDuff are all perfectly suited to their respective roles and very, very funny.

The set is simple, yet colourful and functional as the castle gateway represents the entrance to many different locations in the story.

The orchestra is located behind the set (sometimes visible, sometimes not). This always helps with all lyrics being able to be heard clearly in the auditorium.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Spamalot is the greatest musical of all time but it is a really good excuse to forget any troubles you may have and to go and have a really good laugh which is what we had in Eastbourne.

With a cast as good as this one was I'd gladly enjoy this tale again including those wonderful Knights who say 'Ni!' and their desire for a 'shwubbery' together with all the other historical nonsense.

Incidentally all 3 of the main stars kindly did a Great Ormond Street Hospital charity signing for me - for further details click any picture above and view the details on the appropriate image in my GOSH gallery. You may wish to bid on some quite unique items to support this worthy cause.

Joe Pasquale ESP Extra Sensory Pasquale Review Tunbridge Wells

Joe Pasquale

ESP (Extra Sensory Pasquale)Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre
Sunday 17th October 2010

It's been a good few years since we last saw Joe. Not out of choice, but because we usually saw him at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne.

For those who have enquired why we haven't seen Joe in Eastbourne for quite a while Joe let me know the answer quite jovially and honestly, "Because they haven't booked me!"

He did mention it may be because audiences tend to be older in Eastbourne. Personally I don't think that has too much relevance as Joe used to be one of the few artists who could usually achieve an extremely good size Congress Theatre audience of all ages. Whatever the reason it does seem a shame that anybody who does enjoy Joe's shows has to travel outside a town that does, after all, have 4 theatres of varying size.

Now on to the ESP tour.

For once I'm stuck for words here.... how the heck do you review an act that is as utterly bizarre as Joe Pasquale's is?

There really is nothing to equal the type of humour Joe Pasquale displays on stage. Corny jokes, slapstick, inuendo, a bit of magic, audience mickey taking, making the most uninteresting everyday objects funny, even some painting...... it's all in the show with more besides.

I have to say the size of the Tunbridge Wells audience was somewhat disappointing. Probably between 300 & 400. Those that were attending appeared to be those that had pre-booked. There were very few "walk ins" buying tickets on the evening.

Looking at the average age of those attending even Joe knew why audience levels weren't that great on this Sunday night. He was quick to thank those who had resisted the urge to watch the X-Factor double elimination to go to the theatre to see him instead.

No support act, Joe performs the 1 hour 40 minutes (plus 20 min interval) himself with the help of his mad "twin brother" Raynard on occasions.

Enjoyment wise I thought the second half was hilarious. I won't go into great detail as that will spoil it for those who are still to see this production. However "Raynard" plays a huge part in this part of the show and is extremely funny in performing it. Joe also has some great solo sequences providing classic Pasquale humour and his amazing storytelling/painting sketch.

The first half? Well it was fine but my wife and I agreed that something was missing from this initial part of the show. It just did not have the overwhelming hilarity of the final part. In this section I did however enjoy Joe's unorthadox method of choosing a random audience member and there were many other funny moments.

There was a long drawn-out "magic card trick" that I don't think came across as quite as well as it should have. I also noticed that Joe didn't do as much of his "making everyday objects funny routine" as he used to. Whilst Joe  is one of the best at story-telling with an unforseen ending I think 'fast and furious' humour suits him better. Young and old alike used to love the flitting about from object to object and I think that may be what was missing from this initial part of the show.

However the worst thing by far about this Sunday night show was not under the control of Joe Pasquale and it was not part of his act.

It seemed that Joe, 'Raynard' and the rest of the Tunbridge Wells crowd were all getting more than a bit angry at the constant intervention throughout the show as somebody I can only describe as Some Gobby Cow In Row B.

Joe's act invites audience participation, you expect the odd yell out. But when one irritating woman is allowed to get away with turning mild inuendo into something cruder, to drown out the on-stage dialogue and to generally ruin the show for everybody else something needs to be done.

For the life of me I do not know why the theatre staff said nothing to her. She got louder and louder and interrupted more and more as the show went on.  We were a couple of rows back and I honestly felt like risking getting chucked out myself by saying "Oi you inconsiderate bitch for f... sake shut up some of us are trying to watch this show!"

This was not an acceptable level of heckling and it should have been stopped. Whether that is by common sense prevailing amongst theatre staff or a signal from the performer that it is getting out of hand this should not happen.

Should I have been sitting next to or directly in front or behind this individual I hope the extenuating circumstances would have been taken into account in my defence?

Inconsiderate cow aside this was still a great show from Joe and whilst I still think there was a little something missing from the first half this is still a very funny night out with plently to laugh at.

The final irony is only something you will understand if you have seen this show. We thought it really funny getting back into the car and turning the radio on only to be greeted immediately by Amy Winehouse singing. She will never seem the same again!

Incidentally if you, like us, love Joe Pasquale please consider doing what I have just done and sponsor our squeaky friend for the Virgin London Marathon next year. Raynard (Ray Tizzard also Joe's tour manager) has already run the 26 miles and 2011 will represent Joe's debut. He will be supporting diabetes UK.

For those who have met Joe you will know he never leaves a stage door until everyone has got their autographs and pics - what better way to say thankyou than to sponsor him however big or small the amount?

Sponsor Joe here http://bit.ly/joepasquale-marathon

Teechers starring Zoe Lister - the official trailer

As Hull Truck's Teechers is currently touring and visits the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne from 5th to 9th October I thought readers may appreciate a glance at the official trailer?

To book for the Eastbourne dates follow this Link http://bit.ly/teechers-eb
 
All other current tour dates can be seen here http://www.hulltruck.co.uk/on-tour/on-tour-now

Des O'Connor Congress Theatre Eastbourne 2010 Review

Des O'Connor

Congress Theatre

Eastbourne

3rd July 2010

We grew up with Des O'Connor. Well no, not literally. But both with mothers who adored the likes of Des together with Val Doonican, Max Bygraves, Neil Sedaka and similar artists we were drip-fed "easy listening" music from birth.

I fully expect that there are many others in our generation who were fed such a musical diet with many 60's rock 'n roll dishes thrown in to the mix.

Eventually becoming teens in the late 70's and choosing our own musical preferences of the 80's we are a generation who can probably appreciate what some may see as a bizarre variety of music. It does, however, still result in the occasional odd look when you go to the likes of a Des O'Connor show when you are about 20 years younger than the average audience member.

Having mentioned the 80's, fans of the decade's music may appreciate a reminder that Level 42 are at Eastbourne's Congress Theatre on 19th October 2010 (01323 412000 all tickets £25 and no - I'm not on commission or connected with the theatre)

Anyway, back to Des. If you are lucky and have collected all his records you may have in your collection one of the rare 78s. Yes most of Des's records were the standard 45 or 33 1/3 rpm issues but there are a few 78s scattered around the world.

To the right you see another 78...... Des at 78 years young..... and as I am sure you can tell from this and the other images on this page  he is still performing just as reliably as his old vinyls.

Des thank you for uttering at the beginning of your show those words that are rarely spoken by any artist these days. "If you wish to take photos please do so. When you enter show-business you must expect to have your photo taken it goes with the job." I  have always abided by the no photography rule when applied by performers so it is always refreshing when the likes of Des realize that photography provides great memories and for somebody, like me, who is trying just to promote theatre it makes the feature that much more interesting, especially for lifelong fans.

Des performs the whole show himself. After all who needs a warm up when you are a versatile master of comedy and musical performance?

He strolled on at the start to very appreciative applause from the Eastbourne audience. I have to say that given the age demographics of Hastings/Bexhill/Eastbourne/Brighton and surrounding areas I thought the size of the crowd was disappointing. But it's nothing to do with the artist - it just seems to be par for the course in theatres at the moment.

The first half of the show Des uses mainly for recounting memories, comedy and a few songs, together with requests. Much of the time is spent in two way banter with the audience. As his pianist/musical director left the stage for a short while Des made a genuine offer to the audience. He asked if anybody in the crowd could play the piano and no matter how good or bad they were he would sing along and sign one of his albums as a thank you.

At other theatres Des has had people take him up on the offer (he could even end up singing  Happy Birthday, a Christmas carol or a nursery rhyme if that's all someone could play), but sadly either nobody in this relatively elderly 450-500 strong audience could play anything or they had stage fright.

On 22nd August 2010 Des comes back "down south" to Worthing Pavilion. So people of East and West Sussex from the time I write this you have six weeks to dust off the piano or keyboard and to practice playing anything at all that Des could sing to. It would be nice if, in Worthing, he makes the same offer that a few hands went up rather than the rather rather sad Eastbourne response. Audience participation can be a great highlight of a show. Fortunately this show did not rely on it to be thoroughly entertaining. Those who wish to catch this show in Worthing can book on 01903 206206 (again I have no connection with this or any other  theatre)

Somewhat bizarrely Des is probably the only person who has had the mickey taken out of his music all his life, particularly by other comedians (the late Eric Morecambe being the first), and yet that has publicized his music and his easy going personality all the more. As a result he has sold millions of records and still continues to release albums today with Inspired being the latest.

Talking of Inspired how nice it is also to see an artist who doesn't try to milk every last penny from their audience for their merchandise. Des's album was just £5 and his £18.99 RRP hardback biography a mere £10 (a super book). If you are not "Stage Door Shy" he'll sign them too. I would advise anybody seeing Des's Shows to consider buying his items because, believe me, he is good value compared to most well known artists! (Des please send my commission cheque to ......... :) )

After the interval the rest of the Des's band join him on stage and there is a great balance of music and laughter in the remaining part of the show. He also continues to demonstrate why he has also had such a successful TV presenting career as his reminiscences of people and artists who have influenced him remain fascinating.

Happily married to Jodie and with his youngest child ,5 year old Adam, keeping him on his toes at home Des O'Connor remains as active and entertaining as ever. I certainly hope we see him touring again soon as he went down very well with the Congress Theatre crowd.

Oh and Des, if you happen to read this. If you can remember the message you asked us to pass on to Ken Dodd the following night, if we met him, we'll we did just that. The reply was "Oh isn't that nice.................... what's he after?". Thought you'd find that response as funny as we did.... there's only one Ken Dodd!

Bradley Walsh The Wife's New Shoes Tour 2010 Congress Theatre, Eastbourne

Bradley Walsh

The Wife's New Shoes Tour 2010

Congress Theatre

Eastbourne

30th June 2010

Eastbourne represented the penultimate venue for Bradley's latest tour. Only The Lighthouse in Poole was left to play the next day.

Before I get to Mr Walsh I must pay credit to Bradley's  support act, Tucker. Tucker is a local lad being from Eastbourne himself.

He too is a comedian, very much along the lines of Bradley Walsh. For a show where stand-up-comedy was the theme this was a good choice, especially as he was very good. It would have been awful to see a bad comedy warm up for a well known artist. But this was not the case and funny Tucker (took care to spell those two words correctly!) was well received by the Eastbourne audience.

That just left Bradley Walsh to try and entertain us for the remaining hour and a half or so.

And entertain the Eastbourne crowd he did. In many places following the script he had planned beforehand and in just as many other moments doing the completely unpredictable. As an actor Bradley is great. As a stand up comedian, like his best buddy Joe Pasquale, he has the ability to keep an audience laughing from beginning to end.

OK it was nowhere near a sell-out, so few shows are these days, but I heard nothing but good things muttered about Bradley Walsh's performance when the curtain came down at the end.

This was the first time we had seen Bradley Walsh but it won't be the last. If the current tour hadn't been ending I'd have even been tempted to see this show again.

I am sure my good lady won't mind me saying this but it takes a very good comedian to keep her entertained? As she raved about the complete show afterwards being so incredibly funny throughout (and continued to laugh long after) Bradley Walsh has made a fussy comedy critic very happy! She assures me this praise has nothing to do with the kiss she got from Bradley after the show.

Perhaps, in the future, Bradley and Joe Pasquale may consider doing a combined comedy tour together? It would make a great show. You can see how many years (25+) Bradley has known Joe by the superb impressions he does of him.

Many people try to do a take on Joe's 'squeak' but Bradley for me has his it spot-on. It is clear from this show that they have shared many hilarious times together - it seems a shame not to do a comedy tour sometime.

I hope you enjoy the clips below. When Bradley suddenly whipped my wife's crutch onto the stage I had to grab the camera quick - I've tagged a couple of clips after it to make a sort of mini Bradley Walsh promo video.

Incidentally Bradley has a great official web site at www.bradleywalsh.co.uk/ which is kept well updated with his latest projects both theatrical and on TV.

If you would like to see more of my pictures of Bradley at the Congress Theatre you can view them here fdpt.org.uk/bradley-walsh-wifes-new-shoes.htm

For a show that kept us laughing there is only one appropriate score.

Debbie Reynolds Alive and Fabulous Assembly Hall Tunbridge Wells Review

Debbie Reynolds Alive and Fabulous

Assembly Hall Theatre

Tunbridge Wells

10th April 2010

Well it's not every day you get to see and meet a true Hollywood Legend so this show had to be a must-see event. The Assembly Hall was very busy with an almost capacity attendance.

Whilst she did deliver the line in a jokey manner her statement that "you all probably thought ' better go and see the old girl before she dies'" does probably have an element of truth in it. Whilst she is very 'alive' and most definately 'fabulous' she is also an incredibly remarkable lady and knows this is more than likely the final UK tour she will be undertaking.

It's 35 years since Debbie was last in the UK and she does not try to gloss over the fact she is a sprightly 78 years old. Lets face facts though she says her love of the stage means she will more than likely die on it. Even if this is the case if she leaves it another 35 years for a return she'll be 113 years of age.... not very likely then is it that we'll see a return?

Incidentally what you see in these pictures is what you get (as I took the pictures). That's how absolutely fantastic Debbie Reynolds looks approaching 80 years of age. And no I haven't airbrushed or enhanced her in any way. She did point out how great her legs are and to be honest there are probably women 30 years younger who would like to have her pins.

Anyway how did the mother of Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in Star Wars) do on the night?

Really great actually. I have to admit I had visions of this being really boring. The idea of an actress talking about and over clips from her greatest movies could easily be a brain numbing disaster.

However it is nothing of the sort. I hate to keep referring to her age but for 78 years old she could give a performer 20 years younger a run for their money.

Her recollections of experiences with so many famous names are engrossing. Cary Grant, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Spencer Tracy, Eddie Fisher to name but a few. This is an honest account of her life and she bitches about as many people as she praises yet keeping the whole experience very humorous.

Vocally she was incredible and her holding of very long notes was amazing. It was so impressive that after the show one lady said she must have had vocal  "help" back stage - but she didn't - being at the front you could easily tell it was Debbie's natural vocals.

There are some of the movie clips where she sings along to the action and the timing was spot-on. It was also nice to see an American superstar who had done a bit of research about the town and area she was in bringing local attractions into the entertaining banter with the audience.

She is accompanied on stage only by her drummer, Gerry Genuario,  who has now been with her around 35+ years and her piano/bass player , Joey Singer who has been with her more than two decades.

This amazing actress, star of everything from The Singin Nun and Singin' In The Rain to the more recent The Bodyguard put in a wonderful hour's performance taking us to the 20 minute interval.

In fact she joked ( at least we thought it was a joke) that the theatre staff had said we all HAD to have a break part way though.

Well up to this point I thought this was without doubt a 5 star show and I couldn't see it changing.

But part 2 is a huge letdown. I won't spoil it but a video intro starts off the second section and it involves no input from Debbie Reynold's although it is an entertaining few minutes. There's then only about 15-20 minutes maximum of further singing and humour from Debbie before the show ends.

By anybody's standards this makes it a very short show for £30 a ticket. I can now see why the interval was joked about because it really isn't needed - it's a bit of a waste of time.

I think it's this value for money factor alone which saw only a very small minority of the Royal Tunbridge Wells audience giving a standing ovation.

What a great shame.

Even a decent support act in the first half followed by Debbie Reynold's full performance after the interval would have been better value. I think a lot of people left disappointed at this outcome.

Granted, for anybody who wanted an autograph or photo she did meet all those people at the stage door and she is as lovely to meet in person as she is on stage.

This tour ends with a short West End run at the Apollo. I wonder if the length of the show will be changed in any way as I think anybody commuting to London for a show of 1 hour 20 minutes may leave feeling very short-changed?

My verdict. A 4 star show as what there is is extremely good - it just needs to be 15-20 minutes longer at least.

In spite of this, and if you can afford to part with your cash, I've got to recommend it fully as it really is probably the final opportunity you will get to see this incredible star.

Snow White On Ice The Russian Ice Stars Review

Snow White On Ice
The Russian Ice Stars
Congress Theatre Eastbourne
24-28 February 2010
(Show seen 24 Feb)

Cast: The Superb Russian Ice Stars

"I enjoyed it. I didn't understand half of it but I enjoyed it... the skating was brilliant" "Are those the gnomes... surely those aren't the gnomes?" "Snow White doesn't have Hula Hoops" "Are they chickens?" "This isn't the true Snow White Story" "Are they Russian because they are called The Russian Ice Stars? Do they all come from Russia?" "I can't follow the story!" "They haven't got the right music"

Those aren't my words but the words from a rather loud, irritating, old lady who was sitting behind me.

This is not the first time we have seen the marvellous Snow White On Ice performed by the Russian Ice Stars we saw the show a few years back again at the Congress and both times we have had a rather culturally ignorant, inconsiderate adult behind us.

But then again the lady this time was also moaning that somebody in her party had just had a bad fall in The Congress and that it would inconvenience the coach party on the way back because she had been taken to hospital. I'm sure the unfortunate lady didn't mean to fall down and lets hope she's well.

Well back to Snow White (and the 7 gnomes, apparently) on Ice.

Those of you who drop in to these reviews regularly (thank you) will be aware I reviewed Cirque De Glace last year - that was outstanding.

Snow White On Ice is equally outstanding in professional skating terms. What these professionals achieve by way of complex jumps, lifts, spins and tricks in such a small area is amazing.

Yes there was a fall and a couple of minor stumbles but if you take into account the thousands of different skating tricks that are performed in each show you are always going to get the odd small mishap. As true professionals do, the one female skater who did fall just got up and got on with the show as if nothing had happened. She was actually really unlucky as she had been sent off balance by the slightest clashing of skating boots with a fellow performer.

Let's return to my dear "friend" behind me and her constant grumbles.

"This isn't the true Snow White Story" Actually dear .... it is! What adults seem to expect is a copied adaptation of the Disney movie. The Russian Ice Stars presentation comes from the internationally accepted original version of the fairy tale. A summary can be found on Wikipedia. Alternatively if Mrs Moaner and the rest of her party had invested in just one programme between all of them they would have found the FULL clear story (and printed in ENGLISH too) for both acts over two pages inside.

To be fair though the original story varies VERY little from the Animated Disney favourite. What is lacking here is the ability of a small number of mature adults to interpret a good set, skilled choreography on ice, facial expression, costumes and body gestures and work out the story from putting all that together.

You may have gathered that there is no narration in this show whatsoever. This minority of adults cannot seem to understand a show without words leading them through the tale.

If anything I thought the huge number of children who went to this performance would be a little confused.

On the contrary childhood imagination seems to outweigh the ability of many an adult. No crying children just cheers, screams of delight and lots of laughter at the funny bits.

The 7 gnomes!! I was waiting for Mrs irritating to ask "who is dopey?" - I had an instant answer to that one but sadly that's the one comment she never made. Anyway the dwarfs (yes dwarfs love, not gnomes)  were correct both in number and costume. The reason she wasn't happy with her "gnomes" was probably because they ranged in height from about 4' 8" to 6'+. Yes I guess it's a little unusual for one of the dwarfs to be 2' taller than petite Snow White but I can imagine its a little difficult finding genuine 2' tall Russian dwarfs who all happen to be professional skaters. Again the kids didn't have a problem with the dwarfs' height so why some adults do is beyond me.

The official preview video, above, has not been "glammed up" by the production company Wild Rose Ltd in any way. It is the exact quality of presentation seen in the show. At the end of my review I have posted a genuine feedback video from people who have actually seen the show and appreciated this excellent production.

All the skaters are so talented it seems harsh to pick out just a few for mention but I will anyway.

Irina Tkachuk as Snow White has by far the most choreography to perform during the 2 long acts. She is perfect as the vulnerable Snow White and in addition to her formidable skating ability her ability to tall a story through facial expression is spot on. Prince Charming, Valdis Mintals is perfectly cast in the role and I think he went down well with the ladies (I think this is mentioned by somebody in the video below too).

Oh I almost forgot Queen Drina (Svetlana Kuprina - female) and her alter-ego Ugly Drina (John Hamer - obviously male) We had to laugh at one point when there was a quick switch by Queen and Ugly Drina at the stage's left wing. My "friend" behind who had been quiet for at least two minutes piped up with "She got changed quick". I don't know who should be more worried Svetlana or John that she hadn't noticed they were different sexes.

Seriously though both versions of The Queen were super throughout and eventually a lady sitting next to my noisy fellow audience member managed to shut her up when she said "and I don't like that evil witch" to which the response was "you're not meant to!" It's a true sign of a good baddie when at the end they are welcomed by a chorus of boos in addition to the applause.

I have therefore only mentioned 4 hugely talented people from an equally impressive cast of 21.

It is an excellent production which comes highly recommended to all ages - but please buy the programme for £4 - it is one of the best programmes I've seen in a long while and the true Snow White story is there for all to see.

Above these are the published dates after Eastbourne in 2010. Use the ticketmaster link (top right) to find additional performances

The Searchers Tour Review Congress Theatre Eastbourne 20th August 2009

The SearchersCongress Theatre, Eastbourne

20th August 2009 & 28 August 2008

Frank Allen

John McNally
Spencer James
Eddie Rothe

Back in 2008 when The Searchers returned to Eastbourne I found myself sitting next to Wendy Burton who happens to run The Searchers web site http://www.the-searchers.co.uk/

At that time I promised Wendy I'd be in touch to share my pictures and my verdict on the show.
I'm more than a little late because write-ups on shows got a little behind at one point!! But I will fully make up for it this year.

Incidentally I believe I was originally sat next to Wendy at this years show. However, to sit with friends, she changed seats and swapped with a guy who I think was known to her. Nothing against any sort of dedicated fan but boy it was like watching the show whilst sitting on a bouncy castle at times. And screams? He could give teenage fans of High School Musical a run for their money.

Anyway I digress....

Now I realised I had to make up big time for the non-existence of a review last year so I hope the fans and the band like the little promotional video I made above just using a selection of concert clips from last year.

Unlike so many bands they are not camera shy and are happy for fans to take photos at shows. Although I had full tracks recorded I wanted to produce a little something that was enjoyable, yet respecting the value of music and copyright. I quite like the simple 5 minute result and it has already received a positive You Tube comment within 24 hours.

This year I took no video. However I thought whilst reviewing I'd share with the world a number of stills I took this year. Sometimes I have taken photos at shows, when permitted, only to be disappointed at the result. There were a few blurries this year but overall I am pleased.

If your browser allows hovering your mouse cursor over a picture may give more details.
Well as time goes on we are left with fewer and fewer great groups from the 1960's who have had band member changes over the years and yet who can still command a huge amount of respect from concert goers.
The Searchers have, however, continued to thrive over the years. There is also something relatively unique in the type of audience this band attracts. Go and see many a band from the 60's or even a collection of artists doing a tour and you will find the age of the average audience member is substantially greater than that commanded by The Searchers. Perhaps that's because the later recruits are a tad younger than the band's elders? Maybe it's down to the band's energy and enthusiasm, their friendly approach to fans or just good music? But whatever the reason is it's great to see many in their 30's, 40's and even 20's enjoying Rock 'N' Roll delivered at it's best.
Band "Front Man" Frank Allen is still Rockin' and Rollin' after more than 45 years with The Searchers but he is certainly showing no signs of giving up yet. With his continued energy, enthusiasm and strong sense of humour you get the feeling Frank will keep performing as long as he can still sing and hold a guitar! You get the feeling that if he had to eventually be wheeled on stage he'd do it!
It seems that The Searchers have never really classed themselves as celebrities. They just love what they do and it shows. None of this "don't you know who I am" attitude. No 20 questions before they sign an autograph in case some urchin is selling it on eBay and no inflated ego thing about the taking of photos at gigs. It is all so refreshing. Copyright is all very well but I think it can be taken to some very stupid extremes. File sharing is what is damaging music. A You Tube video is no substitute for the real thing, yet can be a great free advert for the artist(s) if done well. I would like to see more artist(s) not be so hard on photo/video footage. A photo taken with agreement does far more to advertise an artist than a sneakily taken grainy video.
John McNally is the true founder member of The Searchers and he always looks as if he's enjoying performing as much as ever. More than 46 years on he's still strumming away on his impressive line up of guitars and jigging across the stage with the energy of a man 30 years younger (I know you may not feel it John - but that's at least the way it looks). The banter between Allen and McNally throughout the gigs is one of the things that adds to a Searchers show. After 45+ years together they probably know each other better than a married couple and it's a relationship that works so well.
Spencer James, whose vocals are nothing short of incredible, may be a relatively youthful member of the group but incredibly this former member of the group "The First Class" has now been an essential part of the band for 23+ years.
The "Baby" Searcher is the hugely vital and talented Eddie Rothe who has already clocked up over 10 years service with the group and drummed up loads of support from fans (pun absolutely intended).
Eddie's other half is "loose woman" and former "The Cruise" star Jayne McDonald. By sheer coincidence Jayne was appearing at the Congress only 2 days after The Searchers.
Having seen (and met) the friendly Jayne several times at The Congress Theatre she always puts on a superb show. But in these credit crunching times given the choice of seeing 4 Searchers for £10 less than a solo Jayne McDonald The Searchers won hands down on the value for money front this year. I did wonder if many others had taken the same financial decision as when Frank Allen asked if any of the substantial audience were going to see Jayne McDonald the response was a deafening silence.
Another thing I have found with The Searchers is that time passes incredibly quickly. Due to the fact the music is always so utterly brilliant the interval seems to arrive in no time and the second half, encores and the like seem to be over swiftly too.

I have yet to see The Searchers on an occasion when they have failed to get a standing ovation. I can't see it happening anytime soon either.
All the greatest hits are, of course, always covered including the inevitable favourites: Sweets for my sweet, Love potion no 9, Sugar and Spice, Needles and Pins, When You Walk In The Room and many many more.
However although you would always expect these hits to be played everytime you go to see one of their concerts you never seem to tire of them. This is because Frank Allen and his fellow Searchers have a knack of keeping each tour fresh. New humour is introduced, tracks are shuffled around, less popular hits are introduced and songs from other artists get cover versions.
This is probably another reason why with at least 5 major band member changes over 45+ years The Searchers remain as popular worldwide today as they have always been. The show has been kept fresh, they've always looked after their loyal fans and the talent they have sourced when they have lost a band member has always been a popular choice.
Given the choice of seeing The Searchers perform a whole show themselves or as part of a "Solid Silver 60's Show" type multi-artist compilation I would go for the full show any day. Musically impressive and thoroughly entertaining I hope they continue doing concerts in full until they can no longer stand.
They certainly have a very loyal following who hope the same.
Any critisisms? Only one................. where are the programmes? CDs are available at the venues for purchase and signing if required but for at least the last couple of years no programmes.
Come on guys it's a great opportunity to bring your followers up to date with The Searchers history with up to date pictures and at the same time give them some new memorabilia for signing! I guess there's also the added bonus that they might raise a few quid too towards your next Las Vegas performance as we know how much you love Vegas.
Just remember to come back to Eastbourne soon and to bring some nice new programmes with you!

Singin' In The Rain Tim Flavin Jessica Punch Tour Review

Congress Theatre Eastbourne

Singin' In The Rain
11th-15thAugust 2009

Performance seen - 12th August

Cast

Don Lockwood - Tim Flavin
Kathy Selden - Jessica Punch
Cosmo Brown - Graeme Henderson
Lina Lamont - Amy Griffiths
Rosco Dexter - Kit Benjamin
R F Simpson - Robert Traynor
Dora Bailey - Vivienne McMaster
Zelda Zanders - Rebecca Marks
Miss Dinsmore - Helen Evans

Doing independent reviews just for pleasure does give you that opportunity to see what the official reviewers in the press say and even what previous theatre goers have thought about a show.

But what a mixed bag of comments this show has picked up not just during the rest of the national tour but here in Eastbourne.

The West Sussex Gazette raves about it saying "it's a show you'll want to see again and again". On the other hand Eastbourne Today says " a show about the magic of the movies would do well to have a little of that magic itself"

Theatre goers on blogs and forums differ widely in opinion too. Many are quite vicious in their comments about the set and the performers. They are matched by those who say that it is excellent and that the vocal performances are superb.

So what do I think?

Let's get the set out of the way first as on many a review and comment it has been described as poor and bland.

I think these critisisms are fair overall. For a nationally touring production the set does look extremely barren, tired and somewhat battered. On one part of the set it looked as if a "patch" had been applied to a damaged piece and that this had then been painted over.

Whilst nobody can expect the whole of Hollywood to be recreated inside a theatre I can think of much lower budget productions that have done a far better job in creating a suitably impressive set (The Rattonians set for The Producers being a good example).

So on the set front the verdict is certainly that more could have been done to liven the background.

The show itself?

I think these mixed reviews have mainly stemmed from impressions gained in the first half of the first act.

Act 1 is broken down into 14 scenes.

The first 7 or 8 are really tedious. There is nothing whatsoever wrong with the vocal performances when the songs break the story but in these initial story-building-scenes are extremely hard going.

Fair enough that is only just over a half of Act 1 with Act 2 still to come but it's hard to salvage a show that starts so slowly.

I guess it's difficult when you are transferring such a classic movie to the stage (such as this Gene Kelly classic) to do it justice and to hold the theatre goer's attention for the full length of the show.

But the aim of the scriptwriter and production team has to be to achieve this but in this show it fails. Perhaps that is why Singin' In The Rain in the many different productions over the years has continued to get such varied reviews?

As these first scenes passed I found the mind wandering from the "action" only to be awakened each time a song broke in. I'd then endure the rather boring dialogue eagerly anticipating the next musical interlude.

This boredom continued until around the 7th scene when Cosmo, played by the extremely talented Graeme Henderson sings "Make 'Em Laugh" perfectly whilst performing a "comic" scene that is more like "Make 'Em Cringe". It's not his fault, he's a very accomplished actor and singer and he's also very funny as his other scenes prove. But he has to work with the script and props as provided and quite frankly for these opening scenes that material is not strong or good enough.

I don't think I was alone in my thoughts as up to this point audience reaction to scenes could be described as "polite" rather than "raving".

Thank goodness then that after the audience has endured this rather monotonous background building up of the storyline the show really turns itself around.

The scene is now finally set Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are stars of the silent movie era. But now to compete with their competitors they have to enter the world of "talkies". The problem is Lina Lamont talks like Joe Pasquale and sings like Kate Bush on helium. This does not bode well for the future of Lockwood and Lamont so the lovely Kathy Seldon (Jessica Punch)comes along to save the day by speaking all Lamont's dialogue and singing all the words to her songs. This is unbeknown to Lina Lamont because to avoid offending her the production's director decides he will leave her under the impression that her recorded screeching will be used in the final cut.

This opens the way to a far funnier, more interesting, glad-you-came, part of the show where a better script, great comedy, good choreography and great singing are at last allowed to be combined.

It is good that this turnaround in fortunes comes long enough before the interval as I wonder how many of the audience may not have returned for the second half otherwise?

It is fitting that American actor, the Laurence Olivier award winner, Tim Flavin finishes the first half with his impressive rendition of "Singin' In The Rain". The super vocal performance together with the terrific deluge of "rain" falling onto the stage does leave you with the impression that more good stuff is to come in the second half.

And come it does. The second half is a thoroughly entertaining affair and the vocal performances are amazing. Amy Griffiths squealing as Lina Lamont is hilarious. As for Jessica Punch we have now seen her in many productions in Eastbourne (most recently in Fiddler On The Roof) and she never fails to impress her vocal talent is outstanding - she probably also has one of the most recognizable smiles on the stage! Tim Flavin does Gene Kelly proud and Graeme Henderson as Cosmo Brown is extremely funny with superb facial expression.

The rest of the cast and ensemble are equally entertaining although I had to wonder with the girls in the singing/dancing ensemble if the orange fake-tan-look was really the in thing in the early 50's? I wasn't born then so I wouldn't know but there did seem to be a little too much orange. Clad in their colourful raincoats in the second act they reminded me of little "Oompa-Loompas" from Charlie and the Chocolate factory.

So don't be put off seeing this musical from the reviews as certainly from the performance we saw the end result was very pleasing and the audience did give the performers a very good reaction at the end.

Go and see it in the knowledge that it's a bit slow going to start off with but soon picks up in quaility and you will not come away disappointed.