SPICING UP SUMMER WITH VARIETY

Summertime Spectacular — Live at the Palace

James and Murphy Productions, Palace Theatre

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THE summer season at the Palace has had teething difficulties, to put it politely, in the time since its revamp.

It started with the very experienced Gerry Cottle losing £40,000, giving thousands of tickets away and vowing never to return.

Last year's effort Magic of the Movies wasn't without merit but failed to get the audiences it had hoped for and finished its scheduled run early.

Up until now, even considering taking on a summer run at the Palace you either have a huge amount of talent and equal pile of marketing skills, or are up for a high profile way of losing money.

This year, I think they may have cracked it.

Summertime Spectacular is a varied show that crosses over between holiday camp humour and more traditional theatre-based seaside entertainment.

Team of four Craig Northway and Lisa Ward and producers Charlie James and Paul Murphy take the lead in the main set pieces.

Superb acrobatic duo Spencer and Lee have their own slots, and the whole thing is stuck together by host and comedian Dickie Mellor.

Its use of budding talent from Torbay Acting Factory and the Torbay School of Senior and Junior Dancers add to the show, ensuring family-related audience support as well as giving them valuable stage experience.

Doing exactly what it says on the tin, the variety show varies in content, but also quality.

But being a variety show, if you don't like one of the set pieces luckily it's not long before something completely different comes along.

The show kicked off, after a long pause, with Summer Holiday, followed by a medley of toe curling 'hits' to a backing track.

Just as I was thinking 'here we go again' on came Dickie Mellor, a thoroughly competent entertainer who fired up the laughter machine.

He was followed by Spencer and Lee, a seriously good double act with natural comic timing and a excellent rapport between both themselves and the audience.1

Torbay's Got Talent joint winner Coral Butcher followed this with an able rendition of Good Morning Baltimore, but it would have been good to see her incorporated more in the rest of the show.

Then came a dire tired Busy Bee routine that seemed to go on for ages, followed by a tribute to Oliver where they couldn't cast a boy for the central role. The same was to be said of their Grease tribute where the T-Birds were teenage girls. Surely you would pick your songs around available cast rather than trying to bend highly recognisable male roles around a team of girls?

Then when the Crealy Bear came on for a commercial tie-in I thought the producers had lost the plot — but it was really, really funny.

Hyperactive tot Emily stole the show during a performance of If You Are Happy And You Know it. It relaxed the audience and gave Dickie a chance to go off script and into overdrive and prove just how funny and entertaining he is.

The production was then rounded off by a Mary Poppins medley which was incredibly thoughtful, well performed and just a joy to watch.

As I say, variety with a variety of success, swinging from 'talk among yourselves' holiday camp fodder to 'sit up and listen' hugely engaging and entertaining performances.

Then when you look at the bigger picture, and compare the production to the door prices, it should do very well.

Unlike previous shows it is only on one night a week, with regular tickets priced at a reasonable £11. Those who looked online could use a code and got in for £6 for this show. You can't go to the cinema for that.

And where the show unexpectedly succeeds is its family friendly nature.

That holiday park crossover means the show is especially entertaining for families in search of an affordable and entertaining night out.

So fingers crossed this one breaks the mould.

Summertime Spectacular runs at the Palace Theatre every Wednesday until August 26.

Box office 01803 665800.