A key date in the national showcase calendar, staged in a venue which couldn’t be much better suited for the purpose, this dual venture between two leading north-west companies attracted quite a collection of bookers and clients.
Staged over three sessions, the first night kicked off in promising style with the appearance of bright and breezy compere Simon J. I’m not sure what the J stands for here: Jolly springs to mind. Young Simon certainly gave it his best shot in what can be a difficult role. He definitely looked the part - smart and personable, tuneful and funny, Simon J was a real asset here.
Janette Munroe gave us As If We Never Said Goodbye from Sunset Boulevard, before delivering the bizarre and bewildering lyrics from the Donna Summer arrangement of McArthur Park. The approach here was an amalgam of over-produced 70s-style cabaret and matey club style. But Monro has a fine set of pipes, as she showed during her oddly compelling version of Nessun Dorma.
Desperately in need of dressing for the stage, not to mention a few make-up tips, was performing arts student Ollie Murray, who gave us his Michael Bublé tribute. All the Bublé clones seem compelled to give us a version of that new/old showcase chestnut Cry Me A River these days but this done-to-death song was missing, thank heavens. Without the vocal ability of Bublé tributes such as Paul Stewart or the presentational skills of his fellow Bublé impersonator Davey Nicholls, this young Scot appears to have lots to learn.
Cry Me A River was the opening number from violinist and singer Tracy Gee, which could explain why Ollie Murray chose not perform it. Dressed all in black and looking oddly gothic, the belting club-style singer’s voice didn’t match what would be required in better-class cabaret circles for an act of this type.
Comedian Mick Monroe does the lot, from bright blue to squeaky clean. Wearing his family entertainer hat here, the gags came briskly, crisply, and whiter than white. A career professional, this Geordie laughter-maker is sure to have scored on this showing.
A brace of big and bonny lads, collectively known as Timeless, came next and to be honest I didn’t really understand what they were selling. An oddly matched pair, both visually and vocally, the swing stuff wasn’t bad, but the whole line in crowd approach suggested these guys hadn’t really thought out how to crowbar their full range into one short showcase segment.
We were informed that three-girl act The Dreamettes had recently performed for Jordan and her cage fighter lover Alex Reid, but I’m sure these tuneful girls were hoping for better things as a result of this showcase appearance. Most of the audible vocal was live here as the girls gave us a mainly Motown set. The attractively presented trio sang sweetly enough and, while there are many better examples of acts of this type currently out there, I’m sure The Dreamettes will find their niche.
I have seen and enjoyed keyboard duo the Lomax Brothers on many previous showcase viewings and their appeal, to the cruise ship market in particular, is abundantly clear every time. The accent here is on friendly fun and the creation of a toe-tapping atmosphere. Natural performers both, bookers can be sure that, in most areas of the cabaret market, the Lomax Brothers will bring the party to life.
After the interval it was the time for the Absolute Divas Tribute show. Here we saw a three-girl vocal and dance act who collectively possess genuine vocal ability. Presentation-wise there is some variation in dress sizes, which may be a bit of a let-down for some bookers, but there was much to enjoy here nonetheless.
Billed as two tonnes of fun, Liverpool-based singer Derek Jones came next. A fine singer for sure, his real asset is his larger-than-life personality and infectious humour. Given his ample frame, Jones is always going to be limited work-wise as a singer. The unwritten rule, in the cruise business in particular, is that if you are fat you have to be funny and a good singing voice is merely a fortunate bonus. The comedy content here suggested that, given a little fine-tuning, Jones could be amply equipped to adopt the guise of a successful full-time stand-up comedian working at sea.
Zooka and Co is a magic act with old-style vaudevillian appeal, as opposed to a family holiday park style of act. This could be a problem for agents trying to place them. The magician’s doves, silks, cards and fire conjuring were as traditional in magic terms as top hats and rabbits, but his prancer, an ample-bosomed trolley-dolly character, certainly added something visually.
Singer Jenna apparently performs in many tribute genres, but here she was giving us her Pop To The 80s set. A few 80s anthems were belted out, but at times the voice was not all that comfortable on the ear. It seems that slapping the tribute tag on to any act can pay rich dividends these days. I would imagine that, as is the case with many very ordinary singers, this is the modus operandi here.
Leslie Gibson is a quite superb comedy impressionist from Liverpool. Surely deserving of some television exposure, Gibson works the after-dinner circuit and probably hasn’t entertained in many student union bars or at the Edinburgh fringe, where most of the young TV gurus are said to hang out these days. Topical impressions, from soap-land to Dragon’s Den, were all impressive and spiced with originality. What a shame that , according to many in mainstream light entertainment at least, the talent scouts from telly-land don’t seem to know quite where to look for truly original young talent. Leslie Gibson really is a little bit special.
Another bonny young lad, yet another Michael Bublé tribute came next. To be fair, however, Nicholas Turner gave us a smattering of everything during his short set. Some vocal training is required, as young Turner’s rather throaty upper-mask voice was uncomfortable on the ear at times.
Closing the first session out were the girls from the Absolute Divas show, who performed individually as Lady Gaga and Kylie. The girl taking a stab at Gaga really was the wrong shape, while the Kylie tribute had genuine lookalike and soundalike quality. The girls closed their set and session one with a tribute to Britney Spears and this was definitely worth a glance for those in search of lookalikes.
With bookers heading for the late night bar in the hotel in anticipation of session two, which is always dedicated to bands and duos, it was time for producer Gary Hearne and his team to take a well earned break.
Producer: Gary Hearne, Grosvenor Pulford Hotel, Chester
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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