By KATHRYN BERMINGHAM
CONDENSING 100 years of British pop music into a show lasting just one hour is a big ask in anyone’s book.
But the Gaslight Company did just that as they performed ‘The Best of British Pop’ at the Cardinia Cultural Centre on Wednesday 22 October.
The show was one of two events sponsored by Cardinia Shire during the month-long Victorian Seniors Festival, which this year aimed to celebrate communities.
Guests were charged just $5 to attend the show, and the council arranged buses to pick up and drop off seniors without transport.
The afternoon kicked off with the launch of Cardinia Shire Council’s Age Friendly Strategy, a four-year plan for positive ageing within the shire.
Once the formalities were complete, the theatre came alive as the four-piece variet took its audience on a journey through the ages.
Compere Christopher McKenna set a relaxed tone from the beginning of the performance and regularly engaged the crowd in between songs. To the delight of the audience, there was a point early in the show when Christopher asked the vastly outnumbered men in the room to stand up and give a rendition of ‘Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner.’
On the piano throughout the performance was David Cameron, one of the industry’s most respect musical directors.
Though an impressive accompanist, one of the most impressive songs of the show was his rendition of the Beatles 1976 hit ‘Blackbird,’ strummed and sung as a solo.
The musical content as well as banter within the show was aimed at the older demographic, and well received throughout the show. In fact, Christopher said that the performance was put together with an older audience in mind.
“We began touring for the Australian Bicentennial Authority in 1988 as official ambassadors for entertainment for older Australians,” he said.
“The seniors market is huge.
“We usually hold an 11am show and those in attendance can come for a cup of tea and a scone before we begin.”
The bulk of the songs were sung by Roy Best, who Chris proudly introduced as a mechanic-turned-opera singer. Best’s repertoire includes crowd-pleasers including Danny Boy, They Didn’t Believe Me and Serenade.
Spending less time on the stage but equally as impressive was Michelle Fitzmaurice, who gave a stunning rendition of ‘Memory’ by prolific British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Perhaps the highlight of the show was the medley of Webber’s songs, involving all four members of the group, whose talents combined admirably to present a selection of his vast collection.
Costuming and sets were effective but simple, bar a number of costume changes from Fitzmaurice. A British flag was projected onto the backscreen and costumes such as police hats, and time seemed to slip away as the group seamlessly combined hits from throughout the century.
But the real reviews could be heard as the near-full auditorium filed into the foyer following the show.
Pauline O’Brien is 96 years old and attended the show with fellow members of the Kooweerup Senior Citizens Club.
“It was fantastic, I loved every bit of it,” she said.
“I think the Phantom of the Opera was absolutely superb. It’s very hard to sing those numbers but it was a real credit to them.
“You’re up against the best when you’re up against Sarah Brightman, but she was wonderful.”
Carmel Malpera agreed. She came to see the show as a part of a group from the Pakenham Senior Citizens Club and was particularly impressed by the pronunciation of the Italian words within the songs.
“I would have paid $50 to come and see a show of that quality. The singing was absolutely incredible,” she said.
Recent pop sensations The Spice Girls and Coldplay were notable omissions, as was Adele and One Direction but this may be better described as an error in naming the show rather than an error in its set list, as none of the audience seemed to mind.
If the reaction of the crowd is anything to go by, and surely, ‘Best of British’ was a great success in both its comedy and its music.
