Barry & Stuart Magicians @ Durham Gala

On Friday I took Mrs B up to Durham to the Gala to see the latest in a long line of Scottish double acts.  For those of you who have yet to go to the Gala theatre you're really missing out on a treat.  From the modern and spacious entrance, the light and airy bar and the intimate size you go into a perfectly formed, excellently designed auditorium ideal for smaller shows, stand up and, in this case, magic (magic .... magic .... magic.... that was my attempt at an echo for dramatic effect). The seats are super comfy with more leg room than a 1st class seat on BMI and the sight lines are all excellent.

So, we came to watch Barry & Stuart; a two-man magic act also known as the 2magicians. They are known for their dark and sinister performing style, weird and bloody tricks and for hosting and arranging the recent BBC series 'Magicians' (where celebrities were coached into doing magic & illusions) 

I can't really delve too deeply into the act without giving away the essence of surprise & wonder but I will say that these two young men have honed their act into a very slick, very modern take on a range of quite traditional illusions & slight of hand tricks.  Afterwards you are left thinking, "I've seen that trick before, but never like this" and you still can't work out how they do it.  Inter-played with the magic is an amazing feat of memory recall which uses a bed of nails in a very novel way.  My personal favourite was probably the simplest; while Stuart performed the appearing coin trick, Barry accompanied his actions on a sound-box loaded with Super Mario jingles & effects - watching Stuart run around the auditorium do the strains of Nintendo's famous plumber was indeed simple but very, very  funny.

I thought that some more ornate tricks would be difficult to do with such an intimate audience, but having the two of them on stage means you are always torn as to who to watch and, of course, while you are watching one the other one is busy keeping the illusion moving.  Suffice it to say I really tried hard to pay close attention to the set up of tricks, felt sure I would be able to at least work out how, even if I couldn't see when but alas, no, they are just too slick or they throw in a last minute curve ball and the trick morphs into something completely different.

Their humour is dark, modern and very much grounded in who they are; two 20 something lads from Scotland who are rapidly rivalling the great Penn & Tellar for the crown of best in crass & class - not all their tricks are family friendly so beware - there is an age suggestion of 14+ and there is reason for that :-).

Barry & Stuart are busy touring 'darn sarf' for the moment, but then they have almost all of August in Edinburgh, so if you're heading up north for the festival I would definitely recommend taking in their show.

Thriller Live! @ Sunderland Empire

Some artists lend themselves to great tribute acts – Gary Mullens as Freddie Mercury springs instantly to mind, not to mention the thousands of Elvis copies currently touring the world, but there’s no-one, no-one on earth who could possibly try and recreate the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.  And this thought played very heavily on my mind as I took my seat at Sunderland Empire to watch Thriller Live!.

I was desperately hoping that I wouldn’t be subject to a ‘Stars in your Eyes’ type attempt at recreating the unique genius of MJ.  I was almost fearful of having to watch a ‘karaoke style’ gambol through some of the best pop, rock & soul songs ever written.  I was …. well to be honest, I was worrying about nothing.  From the first explosion on stage this was a fabulous homage to Michael Jackson, delivered by a group of extra-ordinary artists and dancers who obviously love the style, magic and presence of Jacko without ever trying to ‘be’ him.

The show starts as a ‘HIStory’ lesson into how the Jackson 5 formed, their first forays into the pop scene and the Motown classics on which they cut their teeth.  Fantastically led by Blaze Ellis Porter (a pocket dynamo of amazing soul & stage presence) we were treated to such classics as ABC, I Want you Back, I’ll Be There and The Love you Save.  Accompanied by exciting choreography and cutting edge technical stage scenes, this was the first time I have ever been up, out of my seat dancing so early in a show.

As we moved forwards in time, ‘Michael’ changed into a young adult and the songs changed too – Another Part of Me, Shake your Body and Blame it On the Boogie all grabbed the disco funk of the late 70’s – with a wonderful New York disco scene adding to the party atmos.

By now I had watched all the dancers and noticed that one or two were exceptionally adept at performing some of the MJ signature moves; the little hitch kick, the toe spin and the side-slide (but not the moonwalk, well, not yet anyway).  Jermaine Johnson, Aaron Witter and Magnus Ainang in particular were amazing, uncannily capturing the essence, style and pizzazz of MJ.   Of the girl dancers, Crystal Hantig was superb, she managed to morph her style and attitude to match each different song & era perfectly and definitely got a very starry future ahead of her.

Smoothly progressing into the ‘Off The Wall’ period, the hits kept coming (well, it was a MJ catalogue so there were never going to be any dull moments) and the routines, staging and choreography meant each song was given its own accompaniment without any delay.   To be honest, it was almost like watching a series of music videos; music video where the artists  constantly look to get the audience involved in the often riotous production – the quality was first class, the music was played to perfection by the band and the stage delivery was like a well scripted movie.

The lead singers changed regularly, each having the opportunity to put their own blend and style on the Jacko songbook.  On the whole they were all excellent, although I was somewhat a little puzzled by the casting of Nathan James.  Nathan is a hunky sort of a guy, not the stereotypical MJ build, nor is he blessed with the dancing prowess usually associated with the delivery of these songs.  Also, Nathan seemed to struggle to contain his obviously powerful voice, especially when giving us his rendition of Out of my Life.  Undoubtedly talented, I’m not sure that this was the right show for him.

I won’t go through the entire play list; to do so would spoil the excitement of hearing a riff or hook from a song well before it has been mixed in and delivered.  Likewise the staging and production really has to be seen to be believed.  I will, however point out that the second half was spent entirely on our feet, clapping, dancing and singing along to Smooth Criminal (in which we were treated to the ubiquitous Moonwalk and the famous ‘leaning’), Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean, Beat It, Bad and of course Thriller !

The evening concluded with a nonstop reprise of songs & dances in which the cast let loose and just ‘jammed’ while the audience lived it up, longer & louder.

If you like Michael Jackson, like his music, like his dancing, like his showiness, then I urge you to come and see his legacy – this is about as good as we can possibly get now the great man has gone, it’s no replacement but it’s a great substitute.

Thriller Live is on at Sunderland Empire from 11^th July to 16^th July.

Phil Cool @ Empire Theatre Consett

I wonder how many people can remember TV comedy in the early 80′s ? Spitting Image, The Young Ones, 3 of A Kind, Black Adder ?; very funny shows written by teams of comedic experts and delivered by some of the country’s finest TV show comedians.

But for some of us, the early to mid 80′s TV laughs were best delivered by stand up and one of my favourites was Phil Cool – billed as the Man of a Thousand Faces, Mr Rubber Face and the Master of Mimicry, Phil brought a completely unique take on the one man comedy routine. Not content with being a very good voice impressionist, Mr Cool was also the only man in the world who would also morph his face into a perfect resemblance of the public figure he was portraying.

Not seen before or by anyone else since, Phil Cool brought us the amazing skill of Faceology which just had to be seen to be believed, so when I found out the he was playing in the North East I had to watch again this one man cast of thousands.

The Empire Theatre in Consett was to play host to the evening’s show. I hadn’t been for over 20 years and since then it has been completely renovated into a fabulous theatre in every way. It’s not a huge venue and this immediately adds to its charm; the entrance, box office and lounge bar are all friendly & intimate – non of the stuffiness that can be found in many older and larger establishments – with the staff all making you feel very welcome.  The auditorium is a brilliant layout – it is wider than it is deep which keeps more of the audience closer to the stage. The sightlines are all perfect and the seats are very comfy with bags of leg room. I have been a bit spoilt recently with trips to both the Gala in Durham and then this theatre putting paid to the thoughts of being cramped up in tiny seats like a tourist on the night train to Dehli.

So, the stage was set with a table of props, guitar and a few glasses of water. As the start time rapidly approached I eagerly glanced around, keen to see how many more of my comedy brethern were making the same timetrip – oh dear, at best there was 80 people in their seats. Such a shame that more people didn’t have the chance to enjoy an amazing night in a wonderful theatre.

Phil came onto stage to the loudest applause we could must with such small numbers and he very quickly recognised that this wasn’t the Hollywood Bowl or the O2 – but from the first gag to the last impression he played as though he was Live at the Apollo (a gig in which he would surely show up all our current heavily scripted gag deliverers)

Taking us through tales of his childhood, past gigs, his TV series and a few songs & ditties we were all enthralled to the point of almost being too quiet for a comedy audience. Keeping it very informal, Phil even insisted that he may try some brand new material and if we didn’t find it funny we were most certainly NOT to laugh !! The first half rattled by – always a great sign of an entertaining act and during the interval my Dad got chatting to one of the volunteer usherettes only to find that her son in law had bought my dad’s car from him 30 years ago.

The second half was a return by Phil to his visual excellence – he explained that he spends hours practising in front of the mirror working on controlling his facial muscles into changing into his targets of mirth – he then took us on a history tour of Rolf Harris, Bill Clinton, GW Bush (which was so uncannily accurate that I felt myself staring, trying to see Phil’s real face and being completely unable to), a mute Tony Blair (if only, if only), his sparring partner Gordon Brown and then Wallace from W & Grommit. An amazing re-write of Churchills famous ‘Fight them on the Beaches’ speech complete with a flawless Sir Winston (and a quick cameo by the Insurance Dog) followed and then a few more songs (including Johnny Cash) to end the show.

If you DO remember Phil, then do yourself a favour and check out his latest show – if you DON’T know Phil, then check out his videos on YouTube and then go and book your tickets – I guarantee you will love it.

A word on the venue – the Empire in Consett is an amazing theatre, perfect for any show but most certainly for stand up as the ambience is almost like a comedy club – the audience is so close to the stage and as I mentioned before, the stalls are wider than they are deep which gives fantastic sight lines as well as a feeling of wrap-around audio from even the slightest whisper.

The staff are wonderfully happy to be there with a genuine warmth and open embrace that you don’t feel like a visitor at all. After the show, while I was waiting to meet Phil Cool, we got talking to Ann & Gill who were serving on the bar and ticket office. Ann & Gill are delightful – they are Consett ladies with a twinkle in their eyes and a laugh to share. I was actually born in Consett and spent my first year & half living on Medomsley Road while Mum & Dad were police officers in the town & surrounding area. We spent about 20 minutes chatting about the area, sharing memories (well, Dad shared memories, I only remember a bottle & a pram) and we left as though we had just met long lost friends.

I always look out for the listings to see which shows I fancy seeing, but now I shall make a direct line to the Consett Empire website to see how quick I can go back. Hopefully I will see you there too….

The Voice of Roy Orbison @ Journal Tyne Theatre Newcastle

Howdy folks

Over the past few weeks I have been very fortunate to see a wide & diverse range of musical acts all serving to widen my appreciation of the recording artists and helping me to relive my youth or share in the living of my daughters youth.

In my quest for continuing this I ventured back in time to a period (way) before I was born - The 50's & 60's !  Accompanied by someone who could give me a much better critical appraisal of the fayre on show, my Mum & Dad, we made off to the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle for a night of Rock 'n' Roll legends.

The show is billed as The Voice of Roy Orbison, and, supported by 'The Everly Brothers' and 'Buddy Holly' promised to be a blast from the past from 3 of the eras best known and well loved acts.

There are many tours on at the moment; lots of them are the actual original artists who are still playing to their fans, bringing their hits back to stage and doing their very best to recapture the atmosphere and stage presence of the 'first time round'.  Unfortunately these artists, whilst still masters of their trade, are often showing the effects of time (don't we all) - lets be honest, an artist who in 1963 was bouncing round stage, belting out their top 10 hits would now be almost 50 years older; the legs, the eyes, the voice all will have suffered (except for Tom Jones) and sometimes this leaves the audience lamenting the passing of time and comparing them to the recordings of the past.

For this show we had artists who were still very much able to not only give an amazingly accurate recreation of the original artists, but who also were able to maintain the energy and strength to 'own the stage' with movement, charisma and presence.

For over 2 hours we were treated to an amazing rendition of over 40 'hits' - and, contrary to the current music climate where selling 150 singles from the back of a Vectra Estate at a Sunday car boot warrants entry into that weeks charts, these hits were ALL classics.  The audience were quite an eclectic mix of ages, group demographics, styles and fashions proving that real songs cross all boundaries.  The fact that many of these tunes have become almost anthemic through their use in TV, Movies and even Adverts just goes to further prove that form is temporary, class is permanent.

Anyway, back to the show - The Everly Brothers, who tonight were played by Geoff Bate & Colin Fidoe were completely in character as the two brothers from Brownie, Kentucky - (so much so that when we met them at half time and asked where they really came from they still maintained it was the Bluegrass State, despite them actually hailing from Wolverhampton !).  Geoff & Colin are seasoned pro's on the music tour scene having played in their own bands, as solo artists and even line dancing shouters before they harmonised their talents into 'The Everly's Experience'.  They have spent hours meticulously recreating every detail of the toothy two-some, the hair, the costumes, the guitars and of course the songs; everything from 'Bye Bye Love' and 'Wake up Little Susie' all the way to 'All I Have to Do is Dream', '('til) I Kissed You' and, prophetically, 'Claudette' which was penned by Roy Orbison and given to the boys to record 45 years before this show brought The Big O and the brothers back together.

Ask anyone if they know Tim Harwood and I would expect all but his mum to answer 'Who ?' ..... but there are thousands & thousands of people who have watched Tim in his many forays into stage, screen & music.  Tim has toured as a dancer, been in the West End with Michael Ball & Jason Donovan, has an extensive Musical list (Grease, Fame, Joseph, Rocky Horror, Blues Brothers, Chitty Chitty...) has played Elvis in Bill Kenwright's national tour and even starred in George Lucas' Star Wars Phantom Menace.  But, in the famous words of a Saturday evening, "Tonight Mathew I will be..... Buddy Holly" ...and he was !

Playing one of the founding fathers of Rock 'n' Roll, Tim delivered Buddy's full repertoire of guitar lead 'Western Bop' which has formed the bedrock of almost all genres of popular music ever since.  Complete with Buddy's trademark NHS-style specs and perfect in his stance and rhythms, we were treated to a catalogue of pop-tastic, foot-tapping, hand-jiving classics including 'Everyday', 'Peggy Sue', 'That'll be the Day', 'Rave On' and 'True Love Ways'.  The fact that Buddy died all the way back in 1959 aged only 22 and yet his music and legacy is still as strong today as ever, is testament not only to the originals genuine brilliance but also Tim's amazing talents.

Finally it was time for the headline act and again another artist whose overall impact on the music scene was most certainly greater than the sum of its parts. Roy Orbison was an amazing song writer, performer, poet and producer who made soulful, lost-love, almost manically depressing ballads into mainstream mega-hits.  His vocal range was unbelievable; from deep, smooth, velvety tenor all the way up to a belting falsetto.  Elvis Presley once famously declared that Roy Orbison was 'the greatest singer in the world'.

Not an easy feat to replicate but in Damien Edwards we had an absolute masterclass in vocal ability.  Damien is a human mynah bird when it comes to stars of the late 50's and early 60's - he has starred as Elvis Presley, Ritchie Valens, Del Shannon and, in his biggest and longest staged role, Roy Orbison.  He has also performed in an eclectic theatrical & TV mix including Captain Walker in the Who's 'Tommy', Parson Nathaniel in 'War of the Worlds', an irate cabby in 'Doctor Who' and even a drunken lush on BBC2's 'See Hear'.

Roy Orbison's hit list includes 'Only the Lonely', 'It's Over', 'Crying' (which was brilliantly parodied by Jim Broadbent in an episode of Only Fools & Horses), 'Pretty Woman', 'Blue Bayou' and umpteen more which have subsequently been covered by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Don McLean and even Van Halen.  And Damien gave every one the Big O treatment.

The finale of the evening saw all the artists take to the stage together to complete an amazing medley which had everyone up out of their seats, singing & dancing and genuinely enjoying a wonderful end to a fabulous show.

My dad said that as each act came on stage, if you closed your eyes, you really believed that it was the originals that were there; the originals from the 1950's, backed by their original bands and singing with the original, naive excitement of people just doing it for their love of being heard and making people happy.

I have to admit, while I would never profess to be much of an expert on music of the 50's & 60's, I recognised almost every song and surprised myself as to how many I actually knew the words to.  A great show by a group of artists who are truly phenomenal in their craft - if you like live music, great pop songs and are aged between 8 and 108 then this is one show you will certainly be sad when 'It's Over' !

Many thanks to Mum & Dad for helping in this appraisal & their feedback on the show's authenticity (I wasn't around for the originals ;-)