JANE MCDONALD: THE SINGER OF YOUR SONG - UK TOUR REVIEW

JANE MCDONALD: THE SINGER OF YOUR SONG AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE

Theatre Run: Wednesday 17 September 2014 (One Night Only at Venue)
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 17 September 2014

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

It seems almost journalism-on-autopilot to preface a review of Jane McDonald’s live show by harking back to BBC reality show The Cruise, the surprise hit which saw the singer achieve celebrity practically overnight, but if there is one thing made abjectly clear throughout Singer of Your Song, her latest UK tour, McDonald is not afraid, dismissive or remotely embarrassed of what has come before. 16 years since Cruise made her a household name, and not only is her career continuing to go from strength-to-strength, opportunity and schedule afforded now by her departure earlier this year from daytime chat show Loose Women, but if her performance at the Wolverhampton Grand was anything to go by, her abilities and prowess as a singer-songwriter are enjoying similar boons.

Named after her recent album release, the first she has recorded in 6 years, Singer of Your Song not only showcases an incredibly versatile and powerful voice, but also bounces along with real vim and whimsy with the same genuine, unassuming natural charisma that won the Nation’s hearts back in ’98. On paper it’s a combination that perhaps strictly speaking shouldn’t gel - a cheeky segment of ad libbing or lamenting the woes of the aging body casts the theatre in a playful, tongue-in-cheek mood as Jane the comedienne takes centre stage, whilst minutes later a barnstorming, tour-de-force rendition of Love Is All can be threatening to raise the roof and take the audience with it. It sounds too incongruous to work, yet McDonald finds the truth in it all, both the grandiose and the giggles, with her irrepressible, everyday charm and authenticity making the whole show work effortlessly. Her healthy dose of self-awareness and more than a soupcon of self-deprecation keeps the audience won over and on-side and the feel-good factor consistently high throughout.

UP4AMEET? - Theatre Review

UP4AMEET? AT THE CRESCENT THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM

Theatre Run: Monday 22 - Wednesday 24 July (at Crescent Theatre, tour ongoing)
Performance Reviewed: Wednesday 24 July

Reviewed by Kyle Pedley

PLEASE NOTE: Although this review does not contain adult language or any full nudity, it does refer to the adult content within the show. As such, reader discretion should be advised.

From it’s brazenly homoerotic posters and marketing through to the first (of many) flashes of no-holds-barred, full-frontal male nudity within literally the opening thirty seconds, Up4aMeet makes no qualms about the kind of show it is going to be. Fabulously gratuitous, gloriously camp and peppered with an acerbic wit and cheeky tone that keeps it all feeling knowingly tongue-in-cheek, this is the perfect kind of guilty pleasure theatre experience for the Grindr age that deserves to become something of a gay cult favourite.

The show as a whole has an air of sassy 90’s Brit-Com about it, echoes of Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and even Absolutely Fabulous in tone and execution, by way of Russell T Davies’ seminal gay drama Queer as Folk (which I did notice an orgasm quip had been borrowed from). It’s decidedly gay-oriented, and it’s certainly difficult to envisage those unfamiliar with the likes of Grindr (replaced here by identical phone app C*ckShop), or the likes of ‘NSA’ and questions of ‘Top or Bottom?’ getting as much mileage and investment out of the show. That being said, there is still plenty of witty interplay, casual nudity and general fun and silliness to make Up4aMeet an easy recommendation for a shamelessly entertaining night out.