... Coppelia Glasgow There is a sequence in Act I of Coppelia as presented by Scottish Ballet, a pseudo-folk dance in prettily embroidered pseudo-peasant costumes, which is performed with such verve and precision that one's spirit lifts. The feeling doesn't last. There are other moments, namely those occupied by the astonishingly gifted Campbell McKenzie and the tragically under used Robert ...

... Strike Up the Band--Gary Williams Beacholme After seeing Gary Williams in action, the question arises how much longer before he has to for sake the club scene for theatre and television? Very capably backed by the Pat McCarthy Jazz Quartet, Williams stormed through a set that included Stepping Out, Night and Day, Let There Be Love, Mona Lisa and Strike Up the Band, the title song of his show. ...

... The Good Old Days Scarborough This year's VE and VJ cetebrations provided a great vehicle for the traditional music had show at the Spa Theatre and credit is due to Tony Peers and Jon Conway for a polished production which combines the humour of the Second World War and its hit songs with moving tributes. The muRMalented Peers is as much at home playing Robb WHton as he is portraytng ...

... Mud'n'Guts Lilian Baylis Presented by Fly Off the Wall, Mud'n'Guts--a comic insight into circus--was a show in two parts. The first half concerned the filming of a documentary about circus, or more specifically, the seedy Circus Maltezer. While Lesley Geddes (Felicity Finch) did the interviews, the brcumentary was simultaneously being watched on television by a couple of ex-circus ...

... Mr Ken Dee and Company Bournemouth 90 minutes of hotel floorshow certainly fulfilled its publicity promise of being a dazzling cavalcade of costume and song, although it was marred by excessive amplification of taped music. For some numbers, female impersonator Mr Ken Dee was flanked by song and dance men Marc Valentine and Christopher Franks, but mostly the stage was occupied with ...

... Seaside Special '95 Cromer Cramer's famous Pavilion was packed to the rafters for a colourful mix of music, magic and comic mayhem. And on a Monday night! Fast paced, eye catching, and very funny, veteran comic Les Wilson had the audience rolling in the aisles. Wilson, a stalwart of summer seasons at Great Yarmouth, Blackpool and Eastbourne, is the consummate performer. A never ending stream ...

... Saved by the legend of soul Croydon Ben E King/Dakota Staton Dakota Staton's tour marks her first visit to Britain in 30 years and at times--despite being a former fan of her records--the opening half of this concert at Fairfield Halls seemed to take as long as her absence. The promotion promised that the jazzy blues belter would tear Tie roof off with her steamy per- 'ormance. It was more ...

... A Night at the Music Hall Great Yarmouth Billed as a trip back to the naughty nineties, this Paul Holman/Nostalgia Productions show fairly crackled along with musical nuggets and rib-ticking mirth. The inimitable Johnny Bans, the portly prince of all things pre posterous, was engaged for the role of chairman in this classic slice of slapstick. His experience and engaging manner were apparent ...

... Lord Bernard Delfont Gala Tribute Show Blackpool The second annual tribute show to the impresario who held Blackpool so close to his heart was determined to set out its stall from the very start, as a future rival to the London based Royal Variety Show. Local youngsters from the Waterloo School joined fellow juniors from elsewhere in Lancashire to open the proceed ings with Joseph and the ...

... Meaning lost to the music Cambridge The Bends I frankly didn't know what to think about this show starring the Featherstonehaughs (pronounced Fanshaws), choreographed by Lea Anderson. The Junction is a rock venue, superbly equipped, and the sound is always a pleasure to listen to. It is doubtless heresy to say so, but I found the music more inter esting than the dancing, which eccentrically ...

... Spectacle not to be missed Shepherd's Bush Empire Buddy Holly Week 20th Anniversary Concert Huge, hom-rimmed spectacles bedecking the front of the venue and a white Cadillac parked on the edge of the green gave an inkling of what lay in store. Neat routines performed by the clean-cut Rapiers evoked memories of the heyday of the Shadows, when the twangy guitar led the way. Joe Meek prodigy Mike ...

... Magic in the spectacle Wembley Arena Aladdin on Ice Putting a narrative element in an ice show goes back to the Empress Hall days of the fifties, when the voices came from clubbers in a box high above the ice surface. Now, of course, all the voices and music are on tape, hugely amplified, and I cannot say it is much of an improvement. Some of the dialogue, spoken by r ...