That's Entertainment Review

That’s Entertainment! (Liverpool Empire)

Friday night at the theatre is a perfect night out for me but unfortunately for so many others it’s not.  A half filled audience (and I’m being generous with that) clapped and sang along to a very good toe tapping night. 

The show began with a tap dancing number (a personal favourite of mine) that had energy and enthusiasm.  Three song and dances down and we were introduced the main ‘attraction’ of the night, The Overtones.  I had not heard or seen them before so I was interesting to see what they would bring to the show.  The answer – not much! Five male singers trying to be as slick and as tuneful as some previous well known male groups from that era but unfortunately fell flat.  Luckily for me, they only did three songs.

Back to what I considered the main attraction.  Eight wonderful dances weaving their way around the stage demonstrating flair, grace and energy accompanied the main quartet, a foursome of two men and two ladies.  Both the men and ladies had strong stage personas and had talent oozing out of the bodies.  My joy was soon stopped with the introduction of the Overtones again!

Now, I may be doing them an injustice and they might have had sound problems but if they were on the poster to sell tickets, I think the fact the theatre was less than half full spoke volumes.  They weren’t all bad, of course.  One or two held their own and all demonstrated great moves in between the beats of the songs. 

A return to the stage by the dancers and we were back on track.  I particularly loved the tribute to ‘Singing in the Rain’ with the fantastic dance routine to ‘Good Morning’. A wonderful rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ finished the first half and I was ready to tuck into my bag of nearly confiscated sweets.

Second half was very much the same.  Great singing and dance routines interrupted by ‘The Overtones’.  All in all a show that was very good but cold have been better if they had stayed with the original format of song and dances.  

What have we done?

Today, more than ever, I question the world we live

We’ve created an unbalanced world were people think it is wrong to give

Instead trapped in their own bubble not wanting to give aid

Are we going to stand back and let the light of the world fade?

Where did it go wrong? Are we all connected to the blame?

We are all different but people seem to continue to want us to be the same

Hatred fuelled by the media who only report what they want us to see

People who are different belittled because they don’t always agree

Another shooting and some more violence plastered across our screens

Is history just repeating itself and was this hatred passed down in our genes?

Something in this world has to change; someone has to take a stand

Just like we condemned the past, our future children won’t understand

I don’t know the answer and I’m not looking to solve it on my own

We need to change our attitude before it’s too late for the seeds to be sewn

 Accept change with open arms and embrace difference with love in your heart

If we don’t, then I’m afraid, more deaths and wars will tear this world apart

Fate

I didn’t know who I was some five years ago

My life was heading in a different direction

I was due to move away but something inside told me to stay

My life was paused in a cross-section

I didn’t know what to do, I needed to decide

I was looking for swings when all I had was a slide

But then fate took control and showed me the way

Chorus

Now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go

It seemed our paths crossed some years ago

We didn’t know it then but you were my soul mate

I truly believe in you, I truly believe in fate

Our paths are mapped out by some force greater than us

They connect when they’re meant to be connected

We were strangers in the past just a couple of steps behind

Two lost souls that continued to be unconnected

As the old saying goes I couldn’t see the wood for the trees

I kept searching high and low over mountains and seas

Bridge

Finding someone when it’s meant to be filled my empty heart

The timing of our crossed paths was right but it wasn’t at the very start

Chorus

Now that I’ve found you, I’m not letting you go

It seemed our paths crossed some years ago

We didn’t know it then but you are my soul mate

I truly believe in you, I truly believe in fate

Sometimes

Sometimes it’s ok to cry

Sometimes it’s ok to tell a lie

Sometime it’s ok to be hurt

Sometimes it’s ok to play in dirt

Sometimes it’s ok to be unseen

Sometimes it’s ok to be unclean

Sometimes it’s ok to be weak

Sometimes it’s ok to tweak

Sometimes it’s ok to be strong

Sometimes it’s ok to be wrong

Sometimes it’s ok to be lost

Sometimes it’s ok to count the cost

Sometimes it’s ok to ask above

Sometimes it’s ok to show love

Second Best

I put you on a pedestal when I we first met years ago

I told myself that we would be friends forever

I was the one who kept our friendship going

It was always about you, not me, never

Pre Chorus

When you called me up I was always there

When you wanted to meet I simply said “Where?”

Chorus

I was always at your beck and call

Right there when you needed me most

Your other friends would come and go

Leaving you an emotional mess

I was there to pick up the pieces

But you always treated me as second best

I wouldn’t see you while you played the field

Making new friends along the way

It hurt that you never wanted to include me

People asked why did I stay

Pre Chorus

Loyalty means nothing to you and now I’ve moved on

Like the saying ‘You never know what you’ve got till it’s gone

Chorus

I was always at your beck and call

Right there when you needed me most

Your other friends would come and go

Leaving you an emotional mess

I was there to pick up the pieces

But you always treated me as second best

Bridge

And now suddenly I’ve seen the errors of your ways

You’ll miss me when you call me on the rainy days

Chorus

I was always at your beck and call

Right there when you needed me most

Your other friends would come and go

Leaving you an emotional mess

I was there to pick up the pieces

But you always treated me as second best

Justice

I didn’t know what to do when I heard the wonderful news that day

Two years of courtroom drama to finally have their say

 Relief on their faces as they left the courtroom together hand in hand

27 years of fighting that we will never really understand

96 people remembered and 96 candles lit

Something deep inside the families told them they shouldn’t quit

There must have been times when they all felt defeated

Then they looked to the heavens above where the 96 were seated

Media, police and government tried to cover up the real truth

 I can still remember the headlines, even though I was in my youth

Still no apology from the people who committed this hideous crime

Surely it’s only a matter of days before some of them are doing time

Throughout the ordeal the message from the families has been very clear

They will continue to fight for justice even if it means shedding another tear

A day in history that will never be forgotten, an event that rewrote the law

Everyone involved in the conspiracy should, without doubt, rot to the core

And now the truth is finally known and the families have won their fight

The city came together to rejoice while the buildings shone so bright

Everyone in the city stood by the sides of the families but what else did you expect

Fighting the establishment for truth and justice, they earned the world’s respect

The Stranger

It was a normal cloudy day and I decided to go for an afternoon walk

At the end of my road a stranger looked puzzled and needed to talk

He looked stressed and told me he had unfortunately lost his car

Apparently, he had been to the hospital and thinks he walked too far

He said he’d been walking for about two hours up and down Queens Drive

Didn’t know what he was going to do but needed to rest and take five

After our brief chat I told him I would help his heartfelt plea

He said he would do the same if he was in a similar position to me

We walked slowly back towards my car, chatting along the way

He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t find his car today

We drove along the roads exchanging conversation about life

He told me he lived alone without his children or a wife

He introduced himself as Peter, 75, and gripped my outstretched hand

He only had a hospital appointment; this was not what he had planned

We exchanged our stories about life, morals and travelling abroad

Excuse me he said I’m waffling please stop me if you are getting bored

Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Junior and all the other stars of the MGM fame

Were topics we explored and a lady but he couldn’t remember her name

We eventually found the car and his eyes lit up showing a little emotion

He thanked me profusely and apologised for causing such a commotion

So why do I tell this true story?  Definitely not to gratify me

But to share the idea that you can help someone without getting a fee

Giving Peter my time when he was lost and need it more than ever

Was a humbling experience and a memory that I’ll cherish forever

Peter Pan at St Helens Theatre Royal

People say you get what you pay for but in this instance it certainly isn’t true.  You get much more!  From start to finish the cast and crew give you a fantastic show with many highs, including Peter Pan flying!  The show begins with Charlotte Gallagher, giving a very strong vocal performance.  Throughout, Charlotte sings and dances with ease and it is easy to see why she plays such leading roles in other productions.  Ray Quinn is, of course, the modern day song and dance man and moves around the stage and in the air fluently with natural ability.  He is very comfortable on stage and it shows, great for any young performer to watch.  Laura Gregory accompanies him in a highlight of the show, flying through London heading to Neverland, a very clever piece of direction.  Her stage presence and singing match the leading man’s.  With every pantomime you need to have a double act, who can bounce off each other.  Simon Foster, the resident dame, and Liam Mellor certainly do this and I think they enjoyed coming off script many times.  It certainly added to the entertainment and made the show better.  I personally love it when things go wrong in a pantomime and in one scene nothing seemed to go right, which just made the scene funnier!  Phillip McGuinness is a truly superb ‘baddie’ and plays Captain Hook with the right level of ‘nasty’ to scare the children.  He is such a good character actor and can only see bigger things for him.  Of course, you need someone to sprinkle the ‘magic’ glitter to make everyone fly and Claire Simmo is perfect for the role.  As always, if things go wrong she is there to support her fellow cast members, usually by laughing at them!  What is great about this production, and not always evident in other productions, is that the cast seem to genuinely get along and enjoy their time on stage together.  If there is only one pantomime you want to take your children to at an excellent price, then this is the one.  Thank you for making the afternoon so enjoyable, see you all in October! 

Fighting for my dreams

My friends said I was crazy to be thinking I could be a star

The dreams I had as a small child were just a bridge too far

They had a small town mentality and couldn’t get out of this rut

But I knew I could make it, I knew I could make the cut

Chorus

(but) I’m going to keep on fighting,

Fighting,

Fighting for the dreams I had

I’m going to keep on dreaming,

Dreaming,

Dreaming for the life I want

I’m going to keep on hoping

Hoping

Hoping for my one big chance

I’m going to keep on dreaming

Dreaming

Because dreaming never hurt nobody (at all)

Made my way to the city not knowing what to expect

Met a few good people who showed me love and respect

No luck ahead, casting agents repeatedly closing the door

Telling me I didn’t have the look and they wanted something more

Bridge

Need someone to open the door and let me seize my moment

Because these hopes and dreams nobody is going to break them

Tried to make some much needed cash standing on a corner selling tours

At night worked in a bar but got tired of asking ‘what’s yours?’

People telling I should give up and begin to move back home to town

But I won’t give up until I’m on top of the pile wearing my crown

Laughter in the sky

Throughout my childhood you were always on TV

Saturday night it seemed, it was only you and me

Laughter filled the room and a smile upon my face

Now who is going to fill this comedy legend space?

Born in Edinburgh, you then head for the big smoke

You achieved fame quickly by telling a simple joke

Another classic sketch about class on the Frost Report

Then left for the Two Ronnies without a second thought

More laughter soon followed and that brought you more fame

Now people up and down the country know you by your name

 Other projects came and went and you become a BAFTA winner

 Gervais asked you on to EXTRAS and you became a toilet sinner

 The four candles sketch genius and still lives on today

Written by Ronnie Barker the laughter will continue to stay

A ‘Sorry’ sitcom success were you played a librarian called Tim

But for now it’s Goodnight from me and a special Goodnight from him, 

I walked the night

The darkness approaches and silence fills the air

I walk the streets alone I walk without a care

Shadows fill the streets the moon a perfect sphere

Slowly step by step I move up another gear

Out of the city lights the stars flash dance in the sky

Dreaming I was free, dreaming I could fly

Face to face with my thoughts they become much more clear

Unable to turn back I have the need to face my fear

Rain begins to pour and I take it as a sign

I carry on walking knowing that I’ve crossed the thinking line

My reflection in a still puddle makes me look so relieved

A huge weight of my shoulders because I always believed

The night draws to a close and the sun begins to rise

My thoughts become the truth the enemy is only lies

Steps become shorter and the need to walk gradually ends

I no longer walk alone; I’m now surrounded by my friends

Global Warming

Climate change is the greatest environmental threat

The needs of the planet that people haven’t met

Endangering our economy, communities and health

Businesses not concerned with our future only their wealth

Increase in energy means increase in fossil fuels

Why not solar or wind energy? Surely we have nothing to lose

More fuel, farms, buildings has led to deforestation

An increase in carbon dioxide not good for any nation

Raising sea levels, flooding and the melting polar ice

It will affect the future but for now we don’t think twice

The balance of scientific opinion is that human activities are to blame

Every one of us has to act; we all need to do the same

Ash and gases from volcanic eruptions also enter the atmosphere

We have to make changes we can’t continue to live in fear

Animals losing their habitats, means animals losing their life

If Global Warming doesn’t change our world will be in strife