Review: Gorleston Pavilion Summer Variety Show

Review by Ray Tempesta

"Cos you're a sky full of stars" sang lead vocalists Nina Taylor and Ben Carruthers in the production's closing piece featuring a medley of Coldplay hits. Never mind the sky, in that moment, all I could see was eight stars in front of me on the stage.

And those stars absolutely aligned for Gorleston Pavilion Theatre's summer variety show, in an absolute stunner of a performance.

From the moment we were welcomed in to the 'Pavilion Pub', the setting for this year's variety show, by landlord and linchpin Eddie Bushell, it was clear we were in safe hands as he charmed the audience with a series of daft gags. He was soon joined by his deputy and right-hand man, Joshua Pickering, who amped the comedy up to eleven as Bushell adopted the role of Wise to Pickering's Morecambe.

After receiving a jukebox for the pub from a wonderfully moustachioed delivery driver, we were then treated to some incredible musical performances from the company. It began with Dolly's 9 to 5, then visited some of Queen's biggest hits, with an Irish folk medley, country hits (with a chance to join in with the hoe-down), 80s bangers, and a Coldplay mash-up also seen along the way.

The 'Pavilion Pub' setting at the beautiful Pavilion Theatre

Taylor and Carruthers' vocals were faultless throughout as they led most of the musical numbers. They both showed great range as they blended powerhouse vocals in the likes of Queen's Somebody to Love and We Are the Champions, with more restrained, soulful numbers such as a beautiful acapella Tell Me Ma, or Taylor's gorgeous solo rendition of Patsy Cline's Crazy.

Bushell, as an experienced musician, added his vocal talents to a few of the songs too, giving a slightly more soulful edge to the numbers. He also wowed us with his musicianship on the keyboard as he mellowed the room with a Sinatra serenade in One for Baby (and One More for the Road). Although largely deployed as a dancer, Rebecca Searjeant gave a brilliant demonstration of her vocal ability in Flashdance's What a Feeling.

While Pickering was no slouch vocally, it was magic and comedy that he was there to provide, and he combined the two perfectly in the classic bottle/cup trick and his Houdini straitjacket routine.

The beautiful Pavilion Theatre has a rather cavernous stage that lesser lights could get lost on, but the brilliant dancers, the aforementioned Searjeant plus Sophie Howman Payne, Lizzie Stanley, and Brooke Martin stood out with both their colourful outfits and their superbly choreographed routines. It was also the attention to detail that impressed me with these guys - even in the numbers where the vocalists took centre stage and there was no dancing involved, the dancers never switched off, staying present and doing plenty of background acting in the 'scenes'.

The hard work put into this show from Director/Producer Joe Ringer and his assistant and choreographer Ellie Rowan was obvious, with every element of the show feeling carefully put together and no filler whatsoever. The set pieces were excellent, the costumes colourful, and the visual and lighting effects were amazing, none more so than in the closing routine which was a joyous, kaleidoscopic wonder to behold.

It was my first time seeing the Gorleston Pavilion summer show, but with such a high quality production and hugely talented performers and producers, it definitely won't be the last time. I urge you to give it your time.

The summer variety show continues at Gorleston Pavilion Theatre every Tuesday and Thursday until 10th Sept.