JMA Productions Showcase 2014 – Session 2 Westlands Leisure Complex Yeovil October 13th Producer John Mills Reviewer Mark Ritchie JMA Evening session. As South coast and West-Country bookers gathered for the evening session, with everyone fed and watered, it was up to comedy one-off Andy Ford to set the tone. Surreal humour formed an unlikely … Continue reading
JMA Productions Showcase 2014 – Session 1 Westlands Leisure Complex Yeovil October 13th Producer John Mills Reviewer Mark Ritchie This is a great venue for a showcase and armed with a production team covering all bases and as sharp as a tack, it was soon time for this flagship South West England event to get … Continue reading
West end entertainments annual showcase 2014 Liner Hotel Liverpool October 21st Producers Barbara Brown and Pete Pinnington Reviewer Mark Ritchie In a continuation of the business built up by the late and great Tony West, Barbara Brown and her merry crew always push the boat out at their annual event. Those in the cabaret room … Continue reading
Sue Barton asks ‘can you smell nostalgia’? During the sixties and seventies there was a certain smell to a working men’s club. The pungency of old hops and fermenting yeast permeated the air, and added to this was the lingering aroma of tobacco, pipe, cigarette, cigar or roll-up. The bouquet marinated the faux leather bench … Continue reading
Roger Remembers. The well-known show business writer Roger Holmes writes exclusively for UK Cabaret on the subject of show business nostalgia. Clubland has always had its characters and one I recall particularly, and always with a smile, is a musician, entertainer and scourge of committee men, little George Ryder. If you met him in a … Continue reading
Curtains up Showcase session four Reviewer Johnny Tait The final session of Curtains up opened with 4 piece covers band Back 2 Skool With Lady Z. Fronted by an attractive young lady with a powerful voice backed by 3 top musicians. The sound and vision was absolutely first class. Now That’s What We Call … Continue reading
Curtains up Showcase session three Reviewer Mark Ritchie Close-up magician Matty Evans was busy bamboozling one and all in the foyer and key bookers gathered from all over the UK. The quality of a showcase audience is certainly more important than the quantity, as we hear reports of other ‘packed’ trade showcases, where hundreds of … Continue reading
Curtains Up Showcase session two Reviewer Mark Ritchie Compere Miki Travis introduced 70’s style disco band Chic Le Freak. Live instruments were augmented by a click-track. A punchy sound, some great vocals and eye-catching stage wear combined to create the most favourable of impressions. The superbly presented tribute quartet called The Jerseys gave us a … Continue reading
Curtains Up session one Circus Tavern Purfleet Session one September 22nd Producer Paul Rogers Reviewer Johnny Tait The show compere Miki Travis presented a new and hopefully regular fixture in the national showcase calendar and opening the show was Essex based three piece male vocal act The Bass Tones. They were well presented with excellent … Continue reading
How my show business career began. Writer and musician Sue Barton writes for us here in UK Cabaret. Sue lets us know how her show business journey began. If you would like to write for us and let us know how you first ventured onstage, we would like to hear from you. I think it … Continue reading