Presented by Bygone Error and the Cabaret Fringe Festival
Reviewed Fri 4th June 2010
http://www.cabaretfringefestival.com
Venue: The Whitmore Hotel, 317 Morphett Street, corner Whitmore Square, Adelaide
Season: 8:30PM and 10:30PM Fri 18th and 25th June
Duration: 60mins
Tickets: $15/conc $10
Bookings for all Cabaret Fringe shows: BASS 131 241 or http://www.bass.net.au
The entertainment of the British Music Halls of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries is recreated by this dedicated father and son team, Paul and Christian Reynolds. This is a lively show with masses of pace, loads of comedy and a bundle of great songs, many of which, in spite of their age, audiences will know. There is even a song sheet provided, so that patrons can join in and sing the choruses of numbers such as I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside, Any Old Iron, Boiled Beef and Carrots, When Father Papered the Parlour and ‘Enery the Eighth. It was interesting to note that even some younger members of the audience were singing alon without needing to look at the song sheets. These numbers have lasting value, which is more than can be said of most of the music being written today.
Paul Reynolds accompanies the pair on guitar, with a kazoo solo thrown in, offering advice, such as Never Let Your Braces Dangle, taking us on journeys to exotic locations, such as The Old Bazaar in Cairo, discussing the difficulties of shopping in The Department Store, as well as insisting on a Proper Cup of Coffee, a real tongue twister of a song that you should not try at home. Leave it to the professionals.
Sadly, the music halls faded away after the Great War, and film, radio and television took over as the purveyors of mass entertainment, although the songs and recitations still lived on long after. It was a great pleasure to hear these songs and recitations again, as well as some less familiar, showing the amount of research that has gone into this great show.
Some of the songs are a tad risqué, and very funny, reviving a simpler time when the likes of Harry Champion, Billy Williams, Marie Lloyd, Gus Elen, Ernie Mayne and Sam Mayo trod the boards. This is a show for the whole family that will leave you wanting more. Hopefully, the duo will decide to produce a CD to sell at their performances, so that the fun doesn’t have to stop at the end of the show. Catch them one Friday night this month; you’ll be glad you did.
Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Arts Editor Glam Adelaide.
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