Jack & The Beanstalk
: Aberdeen
The Stage : 07/12/2000
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK with Su Pollard, Billy
Riddoch, Otis the Aardvark, Luke McCullough,
Tania Whatley, Lucinda Gill. Director: Richard
Frost. Sponsor: Talentspot.Management: E&B
Productions for Qdos Entertainment plc (December
8 - January 6)
---------- Songs Of Praise
The Stage : 22/03/2001
With April Fool's Day falling on a Sunday, it
seems the Beeb has taken a rare opportunity to
combine the sublime with the ridiculous.
A special edition of Songs of Praise to be
screened on April 1, it seems, has already been
filmed - featuring a congregation made up
entirely of clowns. More than 100 professional
fools flocked to Dalston's All Saints Church to
film the one-off service, which, one Conk the
Clown informs me, will be presented by the ever-loopy
Su Pollard.
------------
Save the King's
Head
The Stage : 12/03/1998
Taking part in the Save the King's Head gala at
the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on March 22 are
Victoria Wood, occupying all the second half, Su
Pollard, Lynda Bellingham, Judy Campbell, Janie
Dee, Emma Freud Henry Goodman, George Layton and
Sheridan Morley.
------------
That's Showbiz
: Wimbledon
The Stage : 04/12/1997
JOHN THAXTER
Wimbledon Theatre's showcase for the new musical
That's Showbiz was the culmination of Jim Perry's
20 year dream project.
With original melodies by musical director Roy
Moore, Perry's book and lyrics tell the tale of
comic Ted King's (Ted Rogers) progress from
twenties concert parties, through northern
touring, to wartime stardom in the West End. But
this is soon followed by Elstree disaster, nude
revue, the game show treadmill on ITV - and a
sudden white-tie engagement with the angels up in
heaven.
Real-life names from the past regularly crop up,
including showbiz hack Hannen Swaffer, eternal
boy Wee Georgie Wood, film director Herbert
Wilcox and variety impresario Val Parnell. But
the show's hero Ted is a fictional amalgam of all
those struggling comics who died of drink and a
dicky heart.
Comparisons with the recent Sid Field bio-play
are inevitable, echoed in Carmen Silvera's scenes
as Ted's ambitious, wisecracking mum Kate. But
where David Suchet had Field's famous comedy
routines, Rogers was too often sidelined as the
narrator, with only well- worn gags and one-line
sketches to round out his comic pedigree. But
happily he and his co-star Peter Baldwin (lately
of Coronation Street fame), in great form playing
Ted's feed and would-be lover Charlie Draper,
opened after the interval with a sophisticated
drinking duo, setting the tone for a more
balanced, upbeat second half.
Likewise the versatile Bryan Burdon and Freddie
Davies as Kenny and Bernie, two halves of a
double act, literally came into their own when
their lines unravelled and they could fall back
on ribbing and improvisation.
Among several new faces, Simona Morecraft
twinkled brightly in several roles. But the
revelation of the evening was Su Pollard,
electrifying as Ted's faithful sweetheart Pam,
proving she can carry an emotional song - as well
as the show - with the warmth and vocal power for
big musical stardom.
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The Stage : 18/01/1996
For Better
or for Worse - BBC Radio 2 comedy series (7-7.33pm)
Production
company: Mike Craig Enterprises. Cast includes:
Su Pollard, Gorden Kaye, Julie Higginson, Paula
Tilbrook, David Ross, Peter Wheeler. Writers:
Vince Powell, Mike Craig.
--------
The Stage : 27/06/1996
Oh, Doctor
Beeching! - BBC1 comedy series (8.30 -- 9pm) Cast
includes: Paul Shane, Su Pollard, Jeffrey Holland,
Julia Deakin, Lindsay Grimshaw, Paul Aspeden,
Stephen Lewis, Ivor Roberts, Perry Benson, Terry
John, Barbara New. Writers: David Croft, Richard
Spendlove. Producer: David Croft. Director: Roy
Gould.
|
Dick Whittington :
Bromley
The Stage : 20/01/2000
DAVID READING
Su Pollard
never fails to entertain, if not just because of
her wacky glasses and gormless voice. But there
has never been a busier person on the stage - her
footwork could give Michael Flatley a run for his
money - as she constantly gets the Churchill
audience involved and frolicks around like a
youngster. As a sprightly Dick Whittington,
Pollard engrosses throughout with her manic
enthusiasm.
Terrence
Hardiman has just the right amount of cunning and
nastiness as King Rat and revels in the role, as
does Tudor Davies (Dame Fitzwarren), who keeps
the adults on their toes with quickfire puns.
However,
the kids are more concerned with the feline
capers of Nigel Garton as Tom the Cat. His
graceful movements are a delight, but he does
play with his tail rather too much.
As seems
the norm for panto these days, a TV Gladiator is
on the bill and here it is Scorpio (Nikki Diamond),
who confidently uses her considerable frame as
Spirit of the Bells.
Impressive
lighting (Chris Nicholls) and sound (Martyn
Davies), along with super dancing from the Debbie
Fyffe Babes (choreography by Warren Carlyle),
make this E&B co-production a real hit.
------------- Jack and the Beanstalk : Cardiff
The Stage : 28/12/1996
JON HOLLIDAY
Boasting
the biggest Giant and beanstalk in pantoland,
this seasonal offering at the New zipped off with
a spectacular start to its 68 performances,
getting a raise-the roof response from its
capacity audience.
Jack and
the Beanstalk, presented by Paul Elliott and
directed by Lisa Kent, contains something for
everyone - lots of comedy, songs, dances,
attractive costumes, colourful scenery, an
hilarious Cow, a super spacecraft flight, and the
eye-catching Gladiator Scorpio as the Cosmic
Fairy, in a daring trapeze act over the heads of
the audience.
As Jack, Su
Pollard displays all the abounding energy and
brash attack for which she is renowned.
Mike Doyle
as Silly Billy and Don Maclean as Dame Trot
handle the comedy with effortless assurance,
while the Fleshcreep of Dave Griffin is as nasty
a boo-worthy henchman as any Giant could
rightfully expect.
Local Welsh
favourite Frank Hennessy portrays the jovial King,
Cheryl Taylor is the pretty Princess, and Trevor
Ritchie the Lord Chamberlain. For the very young,
there are Zippy, George and Bungle from the
original Rainbow as the King's Jesters. The
appealing Babes well represent the Olive Guppy
School of Dance. Musical director is John Evans.
--------
News : Radio
knocks for new talent
The Stage : 25/07/1996
Producers
at Radio 2 are looking for failed Opportunity
Knocks and New Faces contestants to feature in a
forthcoming programme.
Opportunity
Knocked will be presented by Su Pollard, who was
beaten in her heat by a singing dog at the start
of her career.
Producer
Turan Ali wants to hear from people all over the
country who appeared on television talent shows
over the past 20 years.
"Anybody
who has a tale to tell, we want to hear it,"
he said. "Whether you won or not, as long as
you never made it to the big time."
Former
Opportunity Knocks frontman Hughie Green has
already agreed to be on the radio show.
"People
hold a great deal of affection for those good old
days of television talent," added Ali, who
can be contacted any time this month on 01843
290944.
LWT's brand
new format The Big, Big Talent Show begins on
Saturday, July 27 hosted by Jonathan Ross. It
will showcase six new acts each week in a bid to
find the stars of the future. LWT scouts have
spent six months auditioning more than 3,000 acts.
|
Jack and the Beanstalk :
Belfast
The Stage : 18/12/1997
JANE COYLE
In this
production, directed with great chutzpah by Grand
Opera House director Derek Nicholls, the theatre
has found a pantomime well worthy of its
Victorian splendour.
At no other
time does its exotic, gilded opulence come to
life more vividly than at Christmas and this year
the combination of Hugh Durrant's gorgeous set
and costumes, Joe Lewis' atmospheric lighting and
John L Evans' excellent musical direction enable
a unanimously strong cast to bring a familiar,
age-old tale to new,contemporary life.
This classy
show somehow contrives to encompass a Cosmic
Fairy in the hour-glass figure of Gladiator
Scorpio, tiny tot heroes George, Zippy and Bungle,
local news reporter Ivan Little as a lisping King
Crumble, rasping- voiced David Griffin as a
thoroughly horrible Fleshcreep, Belfast's May
McFetridge as Dame Trot, mischievous Scouser John
Evans as everybody's mate Silly Billy and the
completely unsquashable Su Pollard as the hapless
Jack Trot - and still makes sense of it all.
There is
plenty of stage trickery at work in the form of a
sprouting beanstalk and a mechanical giant, whose
sheer bulk must ensure a place in the record book
of Belfast theatre. Lovely stuff.
------ Blackpool's Biggest Show
The Stage : 03/08/1995
ROBIN DUKE
See them as
you've never seen them before, the posters claim.
"Dancing"
says Roy Walker, "singing," says Les
Dennis, "sober" says Su Pollard, "together"
possibly says the audience.
While the
Grand Theatre and Opera House may quibble at
North Pier's main season summer offering billing
itself as Blackpool's Biggest Show, there could
be few people who would disagree that it is the
resort's most ambitious one.
A few
eyebrows were raised at the choice of this
particular trio as headliners but director and
choreographer Chris Baldock writers Paul Minett
and Brian Leveson, musical supervisor Sean
Whittle and music director David Lloyd Price aren't
so far off moulding a very special sort of show
on what was traditionally the pier where box
office records were only made to be broken.
Having
worked together for two seasons in Don't Dress
for Dinner, Dennis and Pollard have an instant
stage rapport and together launch the proceedings
as a pair of anorak-wearing holidaymakers. It
leads into a production opener which reveals
Dennis to be no Fred Astaire but at least he is
willing to have a go.
Walker
follows with the first of three scene-stealing
solo spots opening with a gutsy James Brown
number before moving into some fresh comedy
material. A second spell sees him on more
familiar territory - though he wins the best
reception of the night with a tingling version of
How Are Things In Glocca Morra to prove those
singing lessons have been worth their money.
Pollard and
Dennis continue their double act with the first
ever on-stage meeting of Hi De Hi's Peggy and
Coronation Street's Mavis Wilton.
They are
also allowed to flex their own talents - the
wafer-thin Pollard proving she is a better singer
than a comic and Dennis reminding us he is a
better impressionist than he is a joketeller.
But the
show is more than just their three acts - for a
start there is a team of dancers and singers
helping the impressive colourful Copacabana first
half finale. Along the way there is also this
year's flavour of the month - an energetic
version of Riverdance.
Completing
the bill is Richard de Vere and Company, reviving
a 1962 Russian Roulette stunt to great effect and
doing the oddest things with his Roly Poly sized
assistant Caro Cartiny.
Some
trimming of the opening night version was needed
here, some tightening up was needed there, but
given time to feel its way into the end of the
pier venue and Blackpool's Biggest Show looks set
to surprise its doubters and almost live up to
its provocative title.
The company
is completed by Kerry McLaughlin, Gayle Thomas,
Francesca Newitt, Lara Cottrell, Alison Brown,
Kerry Salmond, Lee Ives and Marc.
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