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THEATRE REVIEWS

THEATRE REVIEWS - by Dorothy Winters & others

24^th January - The New Scorpion Band
It is not every day a person gets to be entertained by 25 different musical instruments but that is exactly what The New Scorpion Band did for a packed house on Saturday 27^th January. There were Banjos, Piano Accordion Violin, Concertina, Bassoon, Oboe, Irish and Northumberland Pipes just to mention a few. I do admit that I was so pleased to see that among all the instruments there was a good ‘auld Irish Bowran' (not sure of the spelling) not to mention the fact that they all sang beautifully starting with ‘Over the Hills and Far Away' which they encouraged us all to join in.
The second half included ‘The Changeling' and then a sheep shearing song from Somerset, the Ghost of John James Benjamin Binns'. The audience gave them such roaring applause that they came back and gave us an encore.
8^th November - Philip Serrell
A very relaxed bubbly person who gave us the inside story of how he started in the antiques business and his reluctance to enter the media side of his work. He had us in fits of laughter relating his first day handling sheep at the local auction sale which is how he was known afterwards as ‘Sh** Suit!'
Lots of questions were asked and he valued items personally if asked. A good evening and I miss Dorothy's writing up! JW.
11 October 2008 Ensemble Champagne
What a team ‘ENSEMBLE CHAMPAGNE" made with four lovely looking girls. Liz and Nicky on violin, Tammy on the viola and Emma on the cello. Emma being the ‘chatty' one told us they had been together for eight years. From start to finish the whole audience was spellbound - I personally loved ‘Sheep May Safely Graze'. It seems that Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is usually played by an ensemble of eleven, BUT NO - our girls brought magic to it with only four of them. We also had Figaro, Muzetta's Waltz and lots more. But the highlight of the evening was the conclusion with Gershwin, Berlin and Porter's ‘Music from the Shows'.

The Olde Tyme Players Show - March 2008

As the ‘Old Tyme Players' had been to Pamber Heath a number of times before one might have thought there would not have been such a good turnout BUT the hall was full to capacity despite the rain and it was well worth it as the show from start to finish was absolutely smashing.

Sandy Sinclair and Tony Edwards as Laurel and Hardy singing ‘In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia' could have been the two old chaps come back to life. Cindy Wells once again gave us the pleasure of her lovely soprano voice.

Then we had Gerry (the OTP Chairman) and Sandy as ‘Sonny and Cher' singing ‘I got you Babe' followed by Roy Rogers and Trigger, Frank Spencer and Gene Kelly complete with Tap Dancing - what more could one ask for. But there was more, lots more and the evening finished off with the whole company singing ‘ Thank you very very much'. I personally say welcome back Old Tyme Players to Pamber Heath any time!! As this was the last show of the 2007/08 season we can only look forward with pleasure to the next season.

The London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra - 19^th January 2008

Well ‘The London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra' may have been to Pamber Heath before but their show on Saturday 19^th January was as fresh and entertaining as anyone could ask for.

The skill of those four men on so many instruments was superb. As each came on playing guitar, violin, cello not forgetting the skiffle washboard, it lit up the hall immediately. Their way of going from serious to slightly vulgar lyrics had the audience laughing their heads off. The way the music went from William Tell, Mama Rock Me and Wood Lice then on to dear old Elvis was incredible.

They paid tribute to music from various countries starting with Ireland then Scotland on to Finland and finishing up with Russia, now what more could we ask for. Into the bargain they wore the costumes of each

country with great panache changing at the drop of a hat. The audience clapped and asked for more and more when they finished so they came back with an encore of dear old Lonnie Donegan's ‘Puttin on the Style'.

Instant Wit - 1^stDecember 2007

Well the second show of the season ‘Instant Wit' certainly lived up to it's name and we, the audience certainly had to have our ‘wits' about us to keep up with it. It was so clever how those four people incorporated the audience's suggestions into humorous sketches and Mike Akers voice, both speaking and singing, was excellent and did a lot to carry the show until at times he was breathless.

Catherine Milne's supposed trip down the Treacle Mine where we were told she had consumed 20 tons of treacle and, no offence, she looked happy and plump enough for it to have been true. Stephanie Weston was quite different as I feel she was an actress at heart and you could see her brain ticking over to come out with some really witty retorts. I think that Colin Smith's keyboard playing was superb but not really appreciated enough and was rather overshadowed by the other three performers.

Once again a very happy evening.

Mrs Gerrish's Guesthouse - 27th October 2007

What an energetic and lively evening "Mrs Gerrish's Guesthouse" gave us on the first show of the season, plus the fact that all the songs (beautifully sung by Kate McNab) and jokes suited I would say, at least ninety per cent of the ‘older' members of the audience. I am sure a lot of us can remember an eight-inch TV I personally can. Also the year 1958 when folk went on holiday and stopped in a "Mrs Gerrish's Guesthouse" or similar, no one ever dared think of going to an hotel - that was for ‘Posh Folk'. Mrs Gerrish was, you must admit, a man starved woman and looked on all her male guests as perspective partners/lovers, she would have taken just any man. The way ‘quick change' Ross Harvey came on time after time as a different visitor was really clever. He was the debonair Mr Thomas Terry who was not in fact all he was cracked up to be. The father of the Hurley family who arrived a week too early, not forgetting ‘The Great Mephysto' who looked more like Dracula.

The Best of British Variety - March 2007

This was the third time that ‘The Olde Tyme Players' had entertained us at the Pamber Heath Hall and yet the show on Saturday evening was a fresh as ever. The three ladies who did the ‘Roly Polys' were just smashing especially as Tony Edwards was one of them and I might add he had lovely legs. Cindy Wells did ‘Pam Ayres and her ‘Wonder Bra'' with such panache that if you closed your eyes it could have been the real person. The show was made just perfect by Sandy Sinclair impersonating Bruce Forsythe and Tommy Cooper amongst others that it made the audience whistle and cheer.

Pete Allen - January 2007

This being Pete Allen's second visit I can only say he once again excelled himself and performed to a FULL HOUSE which made the atmosphere absolutely ‘Electric'. Starting off with ‘Way down yonder in New Orleans' he finished with ‘What a wonderful life' with the rasping voice of Louis Armstrong mopping his brow with a hanky. He did pose a question though - just how many of us had ever heard the song ‘Honey Hush' - I for one plead guilty

Wilde Affair - December 2006

"Wilde Affair" turned out to be quite a ‘Wild' evening incorporating the undercurrent of ‘Oscar Wilde's Importance of being Ernest'. Both very cleverly intertwined but took, I must admit, concentration to put the two together. Susan Flannery as Miss Prism was absolutely perfect for the part and such a singing voice. It was absolutely wonderful, despite the fact that she had bumped off not only one but two husbands. However Michael Lunts as Cannon Chasuble, whilst he was an excellent pianist and had a good singing voice was to say the lease a little ‘over the top' with his pursed lips and ‘mincing' walk. Still the fact that the Cannon and Miss Prism turned out to be brother and sister made for a really happy ending which brought a thunderous applause from the audience.

Madam Galina in Ballet Star Galactica & Anything for a Tenor - 18^th March 2006

A wonderful night out for grownups - even HM the Queen. Iestyn Edwards combines his razor sharp wit with some wonderful songs by Cole Porter, Rogers & Hammerstein and Noel Coward. In 'Anything for a Tenor' we met the son of a Merthyr yodeller with an off-centre take on the Great American Songbook (be prepared to sing along) and in 'Ballet Star Galactica' we welcome the return of his most famous creation, Madame Galina - part clown, part stand-up, part classical ballerina, 'the result of a drunken one-night stand between Tommy Cooper and Margot Fonteyn' (Liverpool Post). Spot-on satire and spectacular singing - you won't forget in a hurry!

The Old Tyme Music Hall - 11^th December 2004

'' The Old Tyme Music Hall Players'' who class themselves as 'authentic & uniquely British'' made me smile as they opened their Saturday evening show with the Irish song ''has anyone here seen Kelly". However this foursome of very clever players kept us entertained at such a swift pace that we had hardly finished clapping when another totally different character would appear. Sandy Sinclair was excellent in such guises as Harold Sprat "A Chelsea pensioner" and a Scot complete with kilt and sporran which he shook into a lady's face in the front row - boy! was her face red with laughter. The girls sang lovely seasonal songs and we must not forget our ''Master of Ceremonies'' who kept the whole show running like clockwork.

Jim MacCool - a top performing poet - 13^th November 2004

Jim MacCooL bought a varied programme to the first Theatre evening of the season. He began with a song from Ireland, then Scotland and then Ireland again. His "Ionan Tales" were to say the least, inspiring and held the whole room spellbound. Unfortunately he only had time to read two of the twelve - one about an American Boxer in a wheelchair and the other about a cannibal, set in the time of James 1. I would add that this was all written by Jim and remarkably, all in rhyme and read so clearly that you could hear every word. Here's hoping that we just might in the future get to hear another tale or two.

''Hoagy, Hornpipes, Handel & Hoedown" - 2^nd February 2002

One wondered what we were letting ourselves in for! Oh boy, what an evening. From start to hilarious end feet were tapping and bodies swaying. Hilary James sang songs in her usual haunting voice from "Hong Kong Blues" to "Down by the Sally Gardens" and that old Jo Stafford standard ''Look away". Versatile Simon Mayor played instruments which varied between Mandolin-Guitar and Violin whilst singing some really funny songs. He rounded off the evening with Winifred Attwell's good old ''Black & White Rag'' and for an encore we all joined them in a mad song about a parrot.

''The Way We Were'' - 8^th December 2001

Trisha Lewis pulled us back, whether we liked it or not, into the forties and fifties. With mime, she showed us the precise manners, old- fashioned housekeeping practices including the hand ringer/mangle which I feel sure most of us ''old un's" remember so well. Then both she and her accompanist Graham Rogers acted a brilliant excerpt from Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit". Once again a smashing show. Ending with a nice gesture by Pam Critchley, who stood up and gave a vote of thanks to Mary and Tony and the Hall Committee for once again giving their time and energy to unstintingly.

Mervyn Stutter - 24^th March 2001

As the "SwanSong" of this season's Fish and Chip evenings went, this was the perfect finale. Mervyn Stutter's "Getting Nowhere Fast" was absolutely brilliant. Not only did he write all his own material but he sang it with such "tongue in cheek" panache. His rapport with the audient, plus the feedback he got, not to mention his "play on" world politics was tip-top. He was too quick for me to actually absorb all the words of his own songs but to give you an example one was about Dolly the cloned sheep, and to the old Seekers standard he finished off with "you will never find another 'Ewe'''. For words and presentation I personally would put Mervyn on a par to Richard Stilgoe any day and He is certainly the best!!

Rosemary Squires - 7^th October 2000

She was just as lovely up close and still so young looking. I am talking about Rosemary Squires who was the first guest to kick off this year's entertainments at the Hall, brilliantly accompanied by jazz pianist Brian Dee. She certainly came across with the entertaining evening she promised, and told us her life story, when, from the age of sixteen her Mother changed Rosemary's surname to Squires (her maiden name) which would seem to have brought her good fortune and led to her being associated with many famous show business personalities. She was a great success in England with such bands as Ted Heath's and then in America, and was even classed as the ''English Doris Day'' - now that is fame. Apart from old favourites she entertained us with her advertising Jingles!('' Hands that do dishes'' is the longest running , ever) of which there were many that the audience like myself knew, word for word.

Richard Derrington "My Kingdom for a Horse" - 16^th February 2000

Having watched enthralled on a previous occasion as Richard Derrington showed us how to tie a fishing fly whilst telling us a poacher's tale, I naturally went to his rendition of "My Kingdom for a Horse" in February fully expecting the same perfection, and was not disappointed. I truly believe the audience was held spellbound. What superb acing, jumping from one character/accent to another with such ease. Poor Richard III, what a maligned man he was. Personally I never believed that he murdered the little Princes in the Tower" or that he was the nasty character we have always been led to believe.

06-Nov-2012