UK Theatre Network

The Harlem Gospel Choir

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

You may not instantly recognise their name but the chances are, somewhere along the line, you’ll have seen The Harlem Gospel Choir perform. Whether it was back in 1989, in the iconic video for Madonna’s number one hit Like a Prayer, or more recently at the internationally broadcast memorial concert for Michael Jackson, the world-famous choir group occupy a well-earned position in popular culture.

Since forming in 1986, at Harlem’s Cotton Club, they have become America’s premier gospel choir and have performed with a wide range of contemporary and traditional artists such as Diana Ross, U2, Scissor Sisters, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Gorillaz, Razorlight, Jon Hendricks, Lisa Marie Presley, Josh Groban and Whoopi Goldberg. They have also had the honour of performing in front of royalty, Popes and presidents, including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.

Inspired by the work of Dr Martin Luther King Junior, Allen Bailey founded the original choir after attending a celebration of King’s life. The theme of every performance is “bringing people and nations together and giving something back”.

The Harlem Gospel Choir shares its message of love and inspiration, through its dynamic performances, with thousands of people around the world and raises funds for many children’s charities in the process. From China to Australia, Russia to Alaska, they have travelled more than 3 million miles with their rich harmonies and songs of hope. Now, as part of their 25^th anniversary celebrations, they are back in the United Kingdom after a six year absence.

Staying true to their original form, the choir still draw their core singers and musicians from black churches in the Harlem and New York area and continuously strive to educate and share their African-American culture and the inspirational relationship between Gospel and the black church.

Their uplifting and spiritual concert attempts to emulate the atmosphere and joyousness of a Gospel church service – the audience are even referred to as members of ‘the congregation’. Participation is central to the choir’s objectives and hand-clapping, foot-stomping, arm-waving and hip-shaking are all actively encouraged.

The show is divided into two distinct halves. The first draws heavily upon the Christian beliefs of the choir and, subsequently, the mood is one of meaningful praise and heartfelt worship. After the interval, things become far more mainstream and, dare I say, even commercial. Many of the numbers performed (including Kool & The Gang’s Celebration and USA for Africa’s We Are The World, the US equivalent of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?) had ‘the congregation’ singing along. The charismatic MC and founder of the choir, Allen Bailey, even encouraged audience members onto the stage to join in!

Whatever your religious beliefs may be, it is impossible not to find yourself becoming immersed into this soulful and celebratory concert. The enthusiasm of the choir is positively infectious. Indeed, experiencing the phenomenon that is the Harlem Gospel Choir raises your spirits and touches the depths of your soul!

Steve Burbridge.

For tour dates and venues visit www.theatre-productions.com

Inaugural concert for Aylesbury Waterside Theatre’s
new Orchestra in Association Oxford Philomusica

Oxford Philomusica celebrated its appointment as Orchestra in Association at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre with a delightful debut concert on Friday 11th March.  The acclaimed orchestra presented three musical masterpieces:  Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture,  Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Elgar’s much-loved Enigma Variations.

As part of this special evening, several local schools, including Aylesbury High School, The Mandeville School and Aylesbury Vale Academy took part in a pre-concert workshop, loosely based on the pieces played in the evening concert.  About 30 schoolchildren from Years 7 to 9 attended the final hour of the orchestra’s rehearsal from 5pm to 6pm in the main auditorium, followed by the hands-on workshop from 6.15pm to 7pm in the ‘Second Space’ at the Theatre in front of a VIP audience.  Through such projects the orchestra hopes to encourage young people to understand, enjoy and engage with classical music and develop the audiences of tomorrow.

The main concert opened with a gusto performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture.  Next came Mendelssohn’s Violin concerto in E Minor, Op 64, which gave violin soloist Jennifer Pike the chance to excel.  Wearing a red Spanish style dress, Jennifer captivated the audience with her melancholic, dramatic performance as she effortlessly exposed the emotions of the piece and seemed to become one with her instrument.  Jennifer has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most gifted British artists and won the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year award in 2002.

After the High Sherrif of Bucks opened the second Act welcoming the association between the Waterside and the Oxford Philomusica, we were treated to an energetic and exhilarating performance of Edward Elgar’s Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra, Op 36. Popularly known as the Enigma Variations, this is one of the most famous and familiar works of the classical repertoire - particularly the intensely moving 9th Variation, Nimrod.  The work was born out of the composer’s musical improvisations in which he drew a musical portrait of friends for his wife to identify.  Elgar later dedicated it to ‘my friends pictured within’. 

Oxford Philomusica was conducted by its music director and founder, Marios Papadopoulos.  His passion and enthusiasm for the pieces shine through and in the Enigma Variations  I was fascinated to see his head of thick grey hair taking on a life of its own,  almost becoming another instrument!

Oxford Philomusica is a professional symphony orchestra serving the City of Oxford and the wider Thames Valley.  Thanks to its uncompromising artistic standards and consistently fine performances, Oxford Philomusica has rapidly developing a national and international profile.  In addition to a year-round programme of concerts in its home venue of Wren’s beautiful Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, the orchestra gives regular concerts in London plus regional and overseas tour dates. 

 Since its creation Oxford Philomusica has been firmly committed to education and community work, and this will form a form a significant part of its exciting new collaboration with the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

Oxford Philomusica is also keen to support local charities and will be enthusiastically joining the Waterside Theatre in its support of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, as a collection followed the concert.

For more details on the orchestra visit www.oxfordphil.com

Yvonne Delahaye

Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri: An Acoustic Experience

The Customs House, South Shields

Kiki Dee may never escape the legacy of her 1976 chart-topping duet with Elton John, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ but, nevertheless, she is a singer-songwriter whose contribution to the music industry cannot - and must not - be underestimated.

Her latest acoustic concert demonstrates the versatility and integrity of an artist who, despite the fact that she no longer sells-out vast arena’s, still has much to offer an industry that is becoming ever-more formulaic and increasingly driven by commercial success rather than creativity and talent.

The concert combines a mixture of Dee’s own material, hits from her back catalogue and collaborations with her musical partner and producer, Carmelo Luggeri, from their two most recent albums – ‘Where Rivers Meet’ and ‘Walk of Faith’ – with stunning cover versions of hits by artists including The Lotus Eaters (The First Picture of You) Frank Sinatra (A Very Good Year), Buddy Holly (True Love Ways) and Kate Bush (Running Up That Hill). The result is an intimate evening that encompasses pop, soul, ballads, swing and rock.

 Of course, many in the audience secretly yearned for Dee to perform the classics that cemented her status as a star performer, such as the sensuously beautiful ‘Amoureuse’, ‘I Got The Music In Me’ and, of course, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’. When she did, they were rapturously received.

However, Kiki Dee has constantly developed and moved on and this is reflected in her more recent, though lesser-known compositions. Numbers including Everybody Falls (Habit of a Lifetime), ‘Like Nobody’s Child’ and ‘Soul Man’ certainly have the potential to be hits – if only they were given the radio playtime.

Dee does not need to hide her sensational voice behind the might of a full orchestra and, instead, relies on only the backing of Carmelo Luggeri’s guitar, her own keyboard and the vocals of Annabel Lamb.

Kiki’s ‘acoustic experience’ is one that, for all the right reasons, will linger long in my memory. Truly Terrific.

Steve Burbridge.

ELKIE BROOKS:   50^th ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Some performers stand in a league all of their own – and Elkie Brooks is one of them. Now celebrating half a century in the music business, she wowed a heaving Civic theatre as she belted out hits from her back catalogue, including Fool if You Think It’s Over, Sunshine After the Rain, Don’t Cry Out Loud, Lilac Wine and Pearl’s a Singer.

At 65, Elkie looks and, more importantly, sounds fantastic. Her versatility is stunning and she moved with ease from blues to rock to jazz and back again, electrifying the audience as she did so. Indeed, Miss Brooks doesn’t simply deliver a song she makes love to it, caressing the lyrics and sensuously teasing out raw emotion from every line.

Never an artist to just bask in the glory of her past successes, Elkie also introduced the audience to a couple of songs from her brand new album. The hauntingly beautiful Why and the title track, Powerless, are not just two exceptionally brilliant ballads, but also proof that Elkie Brooks just keeps getting better and better and testament that she still has one of the best voices in the business.

 Steve Burbridge.

Tom and Catherine and Dan Dare in Concert featuring Encore

The Customs House, South Shields

Encore return to the Customs House as part of its fifteenth anniversary celebrations, performing abridged versions of Tom Kelly’s musicals, ‘Tom and Catherine’ and ‘Dan Dare’.

‘Tom and Catherine’ chronicles the life of bestselling author Catherine Cookson, who was born and lived in the Tyne Dock area of South Shields until she was 23 years old, and her husband, Tom, from the time they first met until their deaths in 1998.

Blighted by her illegitimacy and her mother Kate’s drinking problem, she moves to Hastings where she meets her beloved Tom. Among John Miles’s musical score, ‘Something Special’, ‘Hanging onto Life’, ‘Blessed With Peace’ and ‘I Need Your Love’, sung at pivotal periods in their lives: on first meeting; during her terrible bouts of depression; on the death of her mother, Kate, and when Catherine dies, respectively, bring pathos to the show.

Patricia L. Whale (young adult Catherine) and Andrea Atkinson (older adult Catherine), John Whitfield (young adult Tom) and John Robinson (older adult Tom) and Janet Lord (Kate) portray their characters superbly and the lyrics enable them to bring their singing talents to the fore.

Narrated by Caroline Wells and Karen Aynsley, this musical production re-enacts Tom and Catherine’s lives tastefully, completely captivating the audience.

After the interval, in complete contrast, Dan Dare (who will evoke childhood memories to many of the male members of the audience) follows one of the many adventures of the comic strip character. Embarking upon a mission to Venus with the purpose of saving the Earth, which is suffering from food shortages, he and his crew are captured by the Treens and Dan is forced into battle with the evil Mekon. Meanwhile Dan’s assistant, Miss Peabody, and Crew One are vying for his affections.

With very lively songs, ‘Keep A Checking’, ‘Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’ and ‘Two Minutes Fifty Nine’ to name but a few, combined with energetic dance routines and special lighting and sound effects, ‘Dan Dare’ is much more light-hearted than its predecessor.

The excellent band, Andrew Richardson  and Johnny Winter on keyboards, Ian Paterson, bass guitar, James Birkett, guitar, and David Francis on drum, compliment Encore’s sensational singing perfectly.

A very entertaining evening and well worth a visit!

Linda Barker on behalf of Steve Burbridge.

Runs until Saturday 15^th May 2010.

Celebrate Christmas

With

Thomas Spencer-Wortley

www.thomasspencerwortley.com

****

"We are so excited about the upcoming concerts. As we are coming into our fourth Winter season, we can't wait to pull together all our experiences of live performances over the years help to create a really brilliant show with the wonderfully talented Thomas Spencer-Wortley”…..All Angels

“The Drop-dead, Sinatra-eyed quintessential Englishman made the hairs on my neck stand up when he sang his self-penned track ‘Credere’.....Lesley-Ann Jones, Sunday Express

Thomas Spencer-Wortley- an exceptional young tenor who possesses talent, looks, integrity and the drive to continually push musical boundaries- will be bringing his spectacular Christmas concert to London, Birmingham and Harrogate. The evenings will include popular classics to songs from the shows and festive favourites.

Thomas will be joined by Platinum & Classical Brit nominated ‘All Angels' as special guests alongside- Natalie Hope– direct from the UK Tour of Evita and soprano Mairead Carlin. He will also be accompanied by Thomas’ own quartet- ‘The Midnight String Quartet’ and a number of past and present students of the Royal Academy of Music. Details of his tour are below:

Celebrate Christmas with Thomas Spencer-Wortley Tour dates:

December:

20^th      London           St John’s Smith Square, Westminster                     7.30pm

                                    (Feat. the Fulham Camerata)

21^st      Birmingham   Town Hall, Birmingham                                           7.30pm

                                    (Feat. West End Academy Chorus)

22^nd     Harrogate       Harrogate International Centre                               7.30pm

                                    (Feat. Leeds Philharmonic Chorus / West End Academy Chorus)

Thomas’ debut album Credere is out now and contains self-penned songs such as lead-off track- ‘Credere’- a beautifully arranged song with haunting vocals and a soaring melody- a song so brilliant it could stand alongside those of any of the great master works. Other songs present on the album include his take on classics such as -‘Ave Maria’; ‘The Prayer’ and ‘You Raise Me Up’, and it marks the introduction of a major new voice in music. With his English charm, Italian style and world-class voice, Thomas Spencer-Wortley is destined for great recognition. 

To date, Thomas has been described as ‘The English Josh Groban’, the ‘solo version of Il Divo’ and the UK’s answer to Andrea Bocelli but to those who know him, he’s just Thomas...

Thomas lives and works with his younger brother, composer & arranger, Oliver Spencer-Wortley. Between them they set out to create a sound, and one which is becoming clearly recognisable, where the excitement of the modern era meets the classics yet retaining all of the beauty and artistry of the original composition. 

Thomas was born and raised in Derbyshire and then moved to study voice at Trinity College of Music, going on to gain a post graduate diploma and LRAM at the Royal Academy of Music.  After working in music theatre it was evident that Thomas’ classical sound was individual, a real blend of the operatic world and the ‘West End’.  This left Thomas with an apparent decision to make, although now it would appear an obvious step, he chose to combine the best of both and become a solo classical cross-over artist.

For more information, please visit:

www.thomasspencerwortley.com

The Nolans: I’m In The Mood Again

The Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne

The most talked-about tour of the year took Newcastle by storm as Bernie, Linda, Coleen and Maureen – collectively known as The Nolans – proved that sisters are doing it for themselves with a concert that captured the girl group’s energy and spirit perfectly.

It’s incredible to think it’s now thirty years since their smash-hit single, ‘I’m In The Mood For Dancing’ stormed the pop charts and became a cult classic. It’s even more incredible that the quartet look and sound even better than ever.

The show is spectacular - their greatest hits, disco diva anthems and songs from their new album – and right from the beginning it kickstarts an evening that quickly develops into an enormous party.

Many of the girls’ original hits have been subtly updated and each number is choreographed carefully and performed with seven hunky male dancers - enough to raise the blood pressure of many a middle-aged woman in the arena.

Having slung the spandex, banished the boob-tubes and parted with the platforms, the costumes now are sophisticated, stylish and yet equally as sexy. And, for those who appreciate a bit of glitzy glamour, there are still sequins and stiletto heels to keep you happy.

As well as belting out their own back catalogue, the group bestowed the Nolan magic on Girls Aloud’s ‘The Promise’, Ernie K. Doe’s ‘Here Come The Girls’ and ‘Eternal Flame’ by The Bangles. Each of the siblings was also allowed to shine individually with a solo performance: Coleen kicked off with a playful cover of Alesha Dixon’s ‘The Boy Does Nothing’; Linda gave a true rock-chick rendition of Duffy’s ‘Mercy’; Maureen showed off her impressive vocals with ‘Valerie’ by The Zutons and Bernie completed with Pink’s ‘So What?’

It was a cracking comeback concert from the group who were giving us ‘girl-power’ long before The Spice Girls were even thought of.

Steve Burbridge. 

Dancing In The Streets

Darlington Civic Theatre

The magic of Motown is sensationally celebrated in this spectacular show that includes hits by The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight. Okay, so the format’s a bit like Motown meets Matthew Kelly in the sense that the performances are delivered in a Stars In Their Eyes style. However, that didn’t stop the audience at Darlington from ‘gettin’ on down’ and having a great night to remember.

Before long, Dancing In The Streets had them dancing on their feet. Whilst some shows metaphorically bring the house down, there was a real danger that this one would bring the dress circle down as the balcony groaned and vibrated to the pounding rhythm of three hundred pairs of feet.

Songs including You Can’t Hurry Love, My Girl, Please Mr Postman and, of course, the title number reverberate throughout the auditorium and remind us just how good the golden era of Motown really was.

The performances on stage are loosely linked together by master of ceremonies who provides an easily digestible chronological history of the record label and its artists. A joyful celebration of the genre and its lasting legacy.

STEVE BURBRIDGE.

‘Dancing In The Streets’ runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 17 October 2009.

Thriller: Live

UK National Tour

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

In a career that has spanned forty years, Michael Jackson has sold an unparalleled 750 million records worldwide, with his Thriller album still the world’s best-selling record of all time. Love him or loathe him, his impact upon 20^th century pop music cannot be denied.

So, it would seem, the time is right for musical theatre to pay tribute to his achievements in a production that is dedicated to his career. After all, Queen has We Will Rock You, Madness has Our House, Boney M has Daddy Cool, Barry Manilow has Can’t Smile Without You . . . you get the point, right?

However, the difference is that Thriller: Live does not present the audience with a musical play based around Jacko’s hits. It is an all out, no-holds-barred concert tribute to the ‘undisputed King of pop.’

Taking the audience on a toe-tapping, finger-clicking musical journey from his time as one fifth of the Jackson 5 right up to the present, the show is certainly something of a spectacle. All the hit songs are there including ABC, I Want You Back, Ben, Blame It On The Boogie, Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, Can You Feel It, Beat It, Bad and Black and White. The crowd enthusiastically sing and dance along for all they are worth.

 Thriller: Live has many plus points to its advantage -  breathtaking choreography, brilliant vocal performances, multi-media effects and pyrotechnics and the back catalogue of the man who, arguably, has made the biggest impact upon contemporary music from blues, jazz and Motown to rap, disco and pop.

Former Pop Idol contestant, Hayley Evetts is the headliner and she can certainly sell a song. She is supported by an array of talented singers including Ian Pitter, Peter Murphy and eleven-year-old Tyler McLean as the young Jackson.

Backed by a truly gifted group of dancers, the show is an eye-popping extravaganza of vocal and physical brilliance. I must make particular mention of Daniel Uppal, whose performance was a captivating combination of physicality, charisma and star quality.

A few minor points marred what might have been a truly triumphant evening’s entertainment. Firstly, the production provided a totally one-sided version of Jackson’s life and career that was firmly focused on the positive and that completely skimmed over the negative elements. This was epitomised when Jackson was compared alongside Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.

Additionally the title number, Thriller, was badly mimed to a recording by Jackson, therefore it was not Live.

Despite these disappointing flaws, this production is an uplifting, invigorating theatrical experience that you cannot help but enjoy.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Thriller: Live’ runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 6^th June 2009.