A Modern Theatre Review presented by www.stagebeauty.net

The Good Old Days

Variety Show

City Varieties, Leeds

Date of Performance: Saturday 25th October, 2014.

Duration: 2 hours, 25 mins (one interval, 20mins)

Review by Don Gillan, www.stagebeauty.net

Synopsis


Programme

Old style music hall variety show*.
*In 1953 the Leeds City Varieties was chosen as the venue for a BBC TV nostalgia show recreating the golden days of the British Music Halls. "The Good Old Days" went on to become the longest running variety show in British television history, running for thirty years before finally going off air in 1983. Five years after the BBC pulled out the City Varieties resurrected the format as a purely in-theatre event.

Impressions/Performances

The format is simple - a group of modern-day artistes performing the types of acts that might have been seen on a Victorian stage, all done under the watchful control of mine host, Mr. Chairman. TV Actor and Lord's Cricket Ground PA announcer Johnny Dennis has been the regular Chairman since the in-theatre version began, so it's not particularly surprising that he's extremely comfortable in the part, greeting the audience as though welcoming us into his own home and introducing the acts like old friends before slamming down his gavel to summon them on stage.

As usual the evening opened with the boys and girls of 'Barney's Players' (Students of the SLP College of Performing Arts) beautifully costumed for the period delivering a medley of cockney song and dance numbers, ranging from "Let's All Go Down The Strand" to an energetic rendition of "Doing The Lambeth Walk". Although the faces may change, the talent and enthusiasm of these young performers never varies, seeming to brook from a bottomless well.

'Good Old Days' regular Peter John was back again to deliver two comic song sets. The first was a very funny rendition of "The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo" in which he involved the men and women of the audience in singing different parts of the chorus. The second saw him return in Western attire to sing an equally funny campfire ballad.

Jan Hunt, in a welcome return from another regular, also delivered two comic song sets, the first a tribute to Marie Lloyd singing "Oh Mr Porter" and "My Old Man", and the second a tribute to Lily Morris in an extended rendition of "Why Am I Always The Bridesmaid?"

Comedy magician John Styles first set consisted of a very funny and equally perlexing mixture of stand-up comedy and sleight of hand, including a very impressive trick where a champagne bottle 'magically' appears from a burst baloon. Another trick involved enlisting an audience member to zealously guard a milk bottle containing a rolled up note, only to ultimately advise her to leave it on the step on the way out - "we need more milk in the morning!". Styles second set was purely comedy in a hilarious Chelsea pensioner routine.

On a more genteel note, golden voiced soprano Katie Milton sang us two beautiful numbers for her first set in the enchanting "My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown" and the semi-comic but wholly romantic "Joshua". For her second set, Katie noted in that 2014 sees not only the hundredth anniversary of the First World War but also the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Second, updating proceedings with her personal tribute to forces favourite from the latter conflict, Vera Lynn, with a selection of charmingly optimistic numbers of the period including "It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow" and "When The Lights Go On Again".

Up and coming young performer Ross Tomlinson rounded up proceedings with a set of Irish themed songs including "If You Are Irish" and, of course, the almost inevitable "Irish Eyes".

In this final production of the year marking the hundredth anniversary of outbreak of the First World War the entire cast joined together in a finale paying tribute to those who gave up their live in that conflict, singing a medley of songs including such popular anthems as "Goodbye Dolly Gray" and "When the War is Over".

Verdict

Another funny, lively and hugely entertaining look back at a bygone era.

Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net


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