Hollywood and Broadway - Albert Halls, Bolton HOORAY For Hollywood; and Broadway, of course. Over the years both have given us an extravaganza of musicals and the golden era of stage and screen was celebrated in great style in this one performance visit last night.
Stars of this vibrant and colourful show were dancer and singer Wayne Sleep, the mighty atom who has so much energy in his small shell that had it been tonight he could probably have sent himself into orbit, and Lorna Luft. Miss Luft is a talented singer in her own right, of course, but on a number of occasions there was more than passing resemblance to her mother Judy Garland.
The songs and dances came thick and fast - very ably assisted by singer Trevor Jones, who had a major role but not a major billing, and the chorus of dancers, full of enthusiasm.
The music was so infectious that by the interval the audience was walking round humming many of the tunes. When I went to the toilet four men were singing different favourite songs from the first half (one, behind a locked door was giving a loud rendition from La Cage Aux Folles, the musical about gay life. I don't know who he was. When I left the room he still hadn't come out of the closet!). It was also good to hear backing the songs and dances (in the show, not the toilet) such a solid orchestra - the musical director, incidentally, Lorna Luft's new husband.
If there could be a moan, it was that the show ended too soon, at 9.40pm. After the finale most of the audience hoped for, and expected, an encore, which we disappointingly did not get. A pity they didn't include music from Oliver, then we could have asked for more.
But all in all a super show. So three cheers for Hollywood; and Broadway of course. LES GENT
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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