©Prestige Productions
Whamageddon doesn’t start until 1st December, but Prestige Productions’ That’ll Be Christmas is already rocking out theatres and getting everyone in the mood for an early festive celebration. Trevor Payne’s That’ll Be The Day show notches up its fortieth anniversary next year; it’s a hugely successful, constantly changing touring production mixing music and laughter – and That’ll Be Christmas is their seasonal special, taking Christmas hits from throughout the decades and delivering them with pizzazz and glamour.
©Prestige Productions
Not only Christmas hits, but also plenty of nostalgic evergreen Christmas songs that we all grew up with, as well as some other songs given a Christmassy treatment. No spoilers, but I remember Abba’s Fernando being a summer hit – but here it glistens with sparkling snowflakes and makes you fancy a mulled wine. Part of the fun of the show is how it combines songs that you expect to hear – and have every right to expect – with songs that surprise you that they’ve been included; and for me, that was the most enjoyable aspect of the night. Of course, with every wonderfully nostalgic rendition, every so often a song comes along that you could really do without – but then, life would be dull if we were all the same! My teeth clenched at hearing the UK chart topper that fortunately was knocked off the top just in time not to make the Christmas No 1 in 1972… you’ll have to do your research to discover which little gem that is unless you’ve got a long and very good memory. Clue: I was one of those who will not sing.
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A long memory is actually a big bonus in the enjoyment of this show. The music covers the four decades from the 1950s to the 1980s, and the loyal fanbase audience are of an age where they’ll remember them all from their teenage years. It’s a family show – but – don’t tell anyone – I’m 65 years old and if you’re any younger you won’t get many of the references.
©Prestige Productions
It’s more of an event than a theatrical production, with a distinctly happy and excited vibe in the foyers, and patrons dressed in Christmas jumpers and tinselly hairbands. The stage looks great, with dynamic lighting and absolutely no expense spared on the costumes – you’ll lose count of the number of costume changes. There’s also a much-utilised back projection on stage, adding to the colour, the context and the memories.
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The musical numbers are broken up every so often with a comedy sketch or routine; you may have to delve very deep into your past to remember how much you appreciated Laurel and Hardy or Steptoe and Son when you were a kid; Gary Anderson’s vocal impersonation of Harold Steptoe is totally spot on! Some of the comedy is – dare I say it – both a little dated and a little crude, revealing that comedy develops over the years, but classic music always stands the test of time. I do love that particular excerpt from Till Death Us Do Part though!
©Prestige Productions
There’s a talented cast of vocalists and musicians, many of whom both sing and play instruments, and who all bring their own special creative spark. The show is fronted by That’ll be the Day mastermind Trevor Payne and his partner in crime Gary Anderson who use their clearly cheeky personalities to give us some devilish musical impersonations – capturing the essence of their characterisations whilst still impressing with their musical performances.
©Prestige Productions
No spoilers (again) but the show ends with a sequence that blends 70s and 80s Christmas No 1s with timeless festive songs, gets the whole audience up on their feet, and truly sends everyone home on a high. It’s really no surprise that That’ll Be The Day has been treading the boards since 1986, and I’m sure on this showing it will continue to tread them for many years to come! That’ll Be Christmas is now well into its UK tour, with a very busy schedule taking in almost forty venues in November and December. Here’s the link for tickets. My guess is that if you want to see the show, you’ll have to get your skates on, there were hardly any free seats at the Royal and Derngate on Wednesday!
Oh – and you WILL hear Last Christmas!
Four They’re Jolly Good Fellows!
P. S. Reading the cast biographies after the show I have a fresh admiration for TBTD supremo Trevor Payne. We have happy memories of a 1992 holiday to Malta, where the song Maltese Calypso was heard everywhere, and indeed we bought the 7-inch single – Trevor Payne wrote and performed it!