Herald Express ***** “LEFT WARM & FUZZY AFTER LINGERING CHRISTMAS EMBRACE“
It may seem strange to come out of a Christmas show and talk about warmth. But that’s what I felt leaving the Babbacombe Theatre.
It was the warmth of the welcome – like the cast were greeting old friends. And although the songs and gags and dance routines were fresh and new, they left me with a fuzzy feeling of comfort and joy.
You can always tell a great show when the audience still have huge grins on their faces when they leave.
For me there were two truly exceptional routines, at the end of both halves of the show. But in between was a great line-up with crisp delivery from everyone and loads of laugh-out-loud moments.
Hosting the show was comedian David Arnold, coming back to Babbacombe with his second headline spot.
And he shared with us the fact that his Dad was a professional comedian too – if you can believe him, of course, because tall tales are his speciality.
But giving him the benefit of the doubt, it certainly seemed to me that comedy was in his blood.
And with almost as many quick changes as the fabulous troupe Danze Magique (their spelling, not mine), he looked the part too. Fab suits, Dave!
Sharing the links with David was baffling magic man Peter Baffles. It’s no coincidence that during his years at Babbacombe Theatre he has steadily increased his time on stage and his expansion into even more comedy.
His warmth and repartee with the audience is second-to-none and his ‘tricks’ still left you scratching your head. There’s that word again…warmth!
And it is shared equally by singer-funny man Wayne Martin. Audiences love him because he can deliver superb songs and cracking comedy in equal measure. No mean feat. He is the glue that make’s director Colin Matthews rich mix of talents so outstanding.
The other male lead singer is the excellent Joe Stone who, although classically trained from the age of eight, can sing literally anything, and is equally at home singing solos, duets and musical comedy numbers.
And he’s no slouch in the brain stakes either, having appeared as a contestant on The Weakest Link!
But there are no weak links in this show, and the two female singers are truly amazing. I was on a six-star cruise three weeks ago and these two could knock spots off the headliners on board.
Aimee Evans is thrilled to be back as a featured vocalist having made her star debut at Babbacombe earlier this year.
She has terrific range and power and looks as good as she sings. A great favourite around Torbay venues since she used to star in stage productions at school, Aimee has a great future and will thrill audiences far and wide.
Sharing the vocal duties with Aimee is the fabulous Claire Waring, making her sixth appearance at Babbacombe Theatre and getting better and better.
Like Aimee she has great range and power, and is also a natural at musical comedy.
And if you think Joe Stone cornered the brains department by going on the Weakest Link, Claire has a first class honours degree in marine biology from Plymouth University! Phew!
As always, the wonderful dancers of Danze Magique added the icing on the Christmas cake. They weaved their way around the other performers bringing out the true magic (my spelling) of the show in a way that was both heart-stopping but also supportive of the other acts.
But all the flair and talent is the world has to be harnessed and choreographer Lucy O’Neil does just that – and more! And musical director Pete Leonard did just the same with the vocals. A great team.
Once again costumes, lighting, stage management and direction were impeccable and once again, most of that was down to producer/director Colin Matthews – who’s been a Babbacombe almost as long as the cliffs.
And long may he continue.
TORBAY WEEKLY REVIEW by BEN TISDALL
I would challenge anyone not to go and see their ‘Christmas Party Time’ show, this winter, and not leave feeling a lot better
As locals, we may have a presumption that the annual shows at the Babbacombe Theatre are a certain type of entertainment and that they are mainly lapped up by the year-round coach parties. We would be right.
But let me tell you, Colin Matthews has not put on variety shows for nearly four decades without learning how to get it right.
I would challenge anyone not to go and see their ‘Christmas Party Time’ show, this winter, and not leave feeling a lot better. In fact, perhaps this show should be on prescription?
We all are guilty of not supporting some of our better attractions and the Babbacombe Theatre falls in with others such as Paignton Zoo, Kents Cavern or the Model Village.
We see them as something just for visitors, whereas we have some incredible experiences sitting right on our doorstep. Don’t fall into that trap – get out of the house and give yourself a festive treat.
Yes, a lot of the show and the jokes could easily have been put on 20 years ago, but is that a bad thing? What you get is wonderful array of music, comedy, magic and dance, in the spirit of the Sunday Night at the Palladium.
If you crave comedians who tell proper jokes and songs you can join in with, then this is the night out for you. And it’s good – really good.
There are three acts that really set this show above what you might expect. The evening is compered by Welsh comedian David Arnold, who holds the whole thing together with real personality. You can’t teach ‘likeability’ but he has it, and from the outset the audience, were joining in, and clearly loved him.
He is both sympathetic and funny, judging his material perfectly, with an act that built cleverly across the night.
Singer Claire Waring is a real local ‘find’ and again, she has that special something that engages the audience and which you either have, or you don’t.
On the night I was there, her opening number with fellow singer Aimee Evans, didn’t quite work (I think something to do with the sound levels), but after that she showed huge range and an ability to blend in humour. I can see why she also would make an excellent Musical Theatre performer, too.
They were supported constantly by six incredible dancers called Dance Magique, who were exceptional and massive credit should go to choreographer Lucy O’Neill who has injected huge twenty-first century energy into this show.
Joe Stone adds impressive male vocals and the magician, Peter Baffles, is great value, with a very relaxed style, as well as acting as the butt of many of the other cast’s jokes.
Wayne Martin does everything from sing, dance and tell jokes. His Benny Hill inspired song ‘In the Garden of Love’, might sound horrendous on paper, but was a real highlight of Act One.
Interestingly, although the show is marketed as a Christmas show, probably only a quarter of the two hours was taken up with festive themed songs or acts. However, by the end, the whole theatre, which sits 600, were singing along to ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’.
If the aged audience could have got to their feet, I am sure they would have given a standing ovation.
No, seriously, this is a fantastic feel-good show that you should take you friends to. You’d have to be the ultimate scrooge, not to walk out grinning and been glad you booked.
