The Stage

Paul Bridson Productions Showcase

Published Wednesday 16 January 2008 at 15:20 by Mark Ritchie

Paul Bridson and his showcase co-ordinator Gary Hearne deserve a huge pat on the back for making this annual event happen at all.

Firstly, a spate of illnesses and cancellations made the line-up very different from what was originally envisaged.

Secondly, and as we found during our own recent Showcall Showcase, a trade audience mixing with customers at a holiday hotel is never going to be easy.

At any rate, in compere Bob Roberts, who is actually the resident venue compere, they had a man at the helm who knows his business and, with the aid of the resident band Blackjack, Roberts turned out to be a huge asset in keeping a potentially problematic showcase train firmly on the rails.

Tall and vampish singer Katie Halliday was first up on the opening session of this event and she really did cut quite a dash. The most catchy of all the Amy Winehouse hits, Valerie, was effortlessly sung and the striking Halliday revealed her showcase feathers in great style.

Singer Tony Dee sang about bad, bad Leroy Brown and gave us some familiar, folksy and safe chat up lines between the songs.

Dee has a pleasant voice, but he really needs dressing for the stage and also needs a little polish if he is to progress.

Comedian Bobby Beran is the type of ‘safe pair of hands’-style stand-up comedian that you may find on a cruise ship or a golf day.

Beran wound up the comic pace very nicely as he went along and the Warner audience were more than willing to buy the comedy goods which he was selling.

After a lovely out of tune piano routine from compere Roberts and resident MD Andy Morgan, we met a speciality dance act called Havana Nights. Back in those far off days of dance halls and hotel ballrooms it seems that every venue had a resident ballroom dancing couple. I am not a dance expert, but it did seem to me that the exacting Latin routines and strenuous lifts all seemed to be a bit of an effort for this particular pair of ballroom belles.

I have seen and enjoyed the West End Girls before. The two singers who make up this act really fit into the world of sophisticated cabaret which sadly doesn’t seem to exist anymore. This likeable and tuneful twosome are apparently setting up a Forces Sweethearts tribute show, so hopefully they will find their niche.

Likewise, I am not convinced of exactly where three girl act Rhythmistic fitted into the scheme of things.

A clever backing track, which was underscored by the beat and basic melody line of the New Order track Blue Monday, was augmented by some fairly basic choreography, some songs sung mainly in unison and some rather uncomfortable touchy-feely business with male audience members who happened to be sitting at the front.

Solo comedians Carl Brent and Jimmy Carlo were showcasing an interesting sideline with their Laurel and Hardy tribute show.

This is first class entertainment for an audience of comedy nostalgia buffs. A superb silent film musical soundtrack has been re-created and there was all the warmth, sureness of pace and touch of the real thing. If Stan and Ollie were still around they would surely approve.

Rick Green and Becci are one of the new breed of young and sexy illusion acts who seem destined to take the art forward in the 21st century. Lots of knife throwing and juggling here in between the big box stuff and a nice variation on the world’s fastest striptease illusion, which worked very well.

Austin Knight is a sort of comedy wordsmith and every time I see him in action he always makes me laugh. Knight reminds me for some reason of Les Dawson and their comedy journey must have been quite similar. Although you probably won’t see Knight on your television screens, with producers apparently preferring the Edinburgh festival as a breeding ground for new television comedy instead of the cabaret scene. However, I’m willing to bet that he couldn’t care less. After all, with broad comedy appeal like this, his diary must be bulging already.

Speaking of broad appeal, Madonna Decena is definitely the most appealing new solo female singer I have come across this showcase season. After her success at the Showcall Showcase, Decena is pressing on with her one woman charm offensive. The vocal quality is nothing short of extraordinary and the future for this superb and glamorous Filipino lady seems assured.

Closing the opening session were a boy girl duo called On A Mission. There seems to be a rule in the club/cabaret market that large lady singers must do ‘fat gags’ between the songs and have ‘a personality’. Rightly or wrongly, that point has not been lost on the female half of this act. Both of the pair need advice on stage wear, but there is considerable vocal ability to build on, so perhaps their mission could be to get the image right and then the slant of the act will surely alter fundamentally.

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