Reviews

I have been a fan of Pink Floyd since 1979, when I lost a £1 bet about whether Another Brick in the Wall would reach number one in the singles charts. A friend, who had heard the song and loved it, offered me this bet. I hadn't heard the song, but knew Pink Floyd was not a band that put out singles at all, let alone ones that would top the charts. Well the rest is history. One of the few bets I'm glad to have lost. Anyway, since that time I have seen Roger waters and several Pink Floyd tribute acts. Think Floyd did not disappoint.

Arriving at the Radlett Centre, there is a buzz of excitement as fans of all ages; including, parents, children and their grandparents, hang out in the auditorium waiting for the event to begin.CJ is one of the most experienced, dedicated and well-respected Michael Jackson tribute artists and he perfectly captures the electrifying energy of Michael Jackson’s live performances with the look, the voice and the moves!This evening, CJ, with his band, backing singers and incredible dancers, recreated a spectacular performance of his favourite Michael Jackson songs with great lighting display, visual imagery and audio clips taken from Michael’s professional life.

There was a real family affair at the Alban Arena on January 20th. Friends, family and fans of the late great rock musician Jim Rodford gathered at the theatre to pay tribute to a local hero. At the side of the stage under a spotlight was a poignant reminder of the musician who had died in St Albans 12 months earlier – his bass guitar and hat.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a local group was to perform 'Spamalot'. St. Albans Musical Theatre (previously known as St Albans Operatic Society) have been producing high-quality productions for some years now and I must say expectations were high. St. Albans is blessed with many high-quality amateur and professional performers (being located close to London being one of the main reasons), as well as directors and choreographers.

There are hundreds of would-be Sinatras and Bowies roaming the UK and earning a very good living but tribute acts playing the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are a little thin on the ground. Even rarer is a group of musicians who are perfectionists and go to great lengths to recreate the impressive, tuneful rock music created by the singer-songwriter-musician from Gainesville in Florida. Petty died one year ago at the relatively young age of 66 but his music will live on for future generations.

I was lucky enough to be invited to sample Champneys new product lines at their Spa in St. Albans. They were launching a new range - Mediterranean Bliss Treatments, which are also available in Boots apparently.

Another strong production by The Company of Ten. Well acted and staged. High quality theatre. This is a play that The Company of Ten should be highly suited to and indeed they are! All the main characters are credible and well-acted by the cast. The costumes and scenery are spot on in achieving a look and feel of a pre-war English country house. A very enjoyable and entertaining evening. Highly recommended, running till October 20th.

The latest production by the Radlett Musical Theatre Company is one of the first amateur productions of the hugely popular musical ‘Cats’. The RMTC seem to be making a habit of choosing an eclectic range of material for their shows. Their recent staging of ‘The Producers’ was an inspired choice, with the emphasis on slapstick comedy and well-defined lead characters, with a great plot and spectacular set pieces. ‘Cats’ is a very different beast (no pun intended).

I am old enough to remember the original TV versions of the Talking Heads monologues by Alan Bennett. They were gentle and bittersweet, often with a few surprising twists. The Play's The Thing theatre company brought their production, featuring 2 of the most iconic monologues - A lady of Letters & Soldiering On - to the Maltings theatre as part of their regional tour.