... Array of talent is smooth stuff Pontefract The 1997 John Smith's Brewery Roadshow The new year brings a new batch of touring roadshows which are sponsored by brewery giants such as John Smith's. The John Smiths show visited Pontefract's Prince of Wales Club and presented an array of talent that kept the busy concert room enthralled for the entire evening. Compere Paul Michael Walker performed ...

... Gary Potter Ormskirk Gary is a heck of a guitar player, (Chet Atkins). He's brilliant, (George Harrison). He ought to be world famous, (Benny Green). Praise indeed and well deserved, for Gary Potter is undoubtedly one of the finest jazz guitarists in the UK at the present time. In the north west, the gui tarist's remarkable talents have long been recognised and it is good that the rest ...

... A perfect pair Pamela Watford profiles successful sixties duo Colin Robins and Anjie Dean Colin Robins and Anjie Dean were one of those popular husband and wife singing teams which scored greatly in the sixties and seventies, not only in the northern clubs, but in many other media--theatre, cabaret. panto and cruise liners. The duo presented an act of song, with a touch of com edy, which was a ...

... Escape to a slick spectacle Brighton/Touring Holiday on Ice- The Anniversary Show It was party time at the Brighton Centre, celebrating 50 years of Holiday on Ice shows with the lavish spectacle that large audiences expect from their annual fix of unashamedly glitzy escapism. i Looking both back and for- ward, director Jerome Savary has woven major events into an enter taining tapestry, ...

... Saltimbanco Royal Albert Hall starting out as street entertainers, I wonder what Cirque du Soleil's founders would have thought then of a flashy circus charging £23.50 for the worst seats in the house and £40 for the best. Hmmm, that is the gripe over with. If Soleil had to return with the same show as this time last year instead of one of its three others, thank good ness that, on opening ...

... Dropping our hats to them By LISA MARTLAND Opportunities to enjoy an evening of intimate revue nowadays are, unfortunately, few and far between. In the fifties and sixties, though, Michael Flanders and Donald Swann proved just how enjoyable and successful such entertainment could be. In the Radio 2 Arts Prog ramme Dropping the Hat Again (Sunday, January 12) John Amis took an affectionate look ...

... Feel-good for starters Royal Court Theatre Upstairs (Ambassadors) The Gogmagogs The Gogmagogs are a group of seven talented string players who, having kicked away the music stands (though not the chairs), play their instruments on the hoof and in a range of (sometimes bizarre) positions, concocted for them by director Lucy Bailey. The aim is to explore ways of playing and moving, to work ...

... Those Happy Days Ashley Leeder Norwich A flavour of the fifties, sixties and seventies came to The Talk in the form of Those Happy Days. This all-singing, all-dancing medley paid tribute to some of the songs and stars of the past. There was not too much time to reminisce as the nostalgic tour from Teddy boys to glam rock raced through many of the chart toppers of those times. Glam was very ...

... The Stan Tracey 70th Birthday Concert Queen Elizabeth Hall This magnificent celebratory concert, staged by the Park Lane Group, allowed Stan Tracey to display all his skills, as composer and performer, in trio, quartet, septet and octet formations, before the big band provided its usual chareine climax. Tracey opened with bassist Andy Cleyndert and Clark Tracey on drums, these two staying on ...

... Michele Breeze 1996 Dynamite Show Billingham Over the years Michele Breeze's Dynamite Shows have been noted for their lavish costumes, stunning visual effects and originality. And this dazzling productions ensures the high standard is maintained. From the moment the sensa tional Breeze blows in, wearing a figure-hugging costume decorated with CDs and multi-coloured diamante, the spotlight is ...

... Sweet, not bitter return The early seventies were the heyday of the legendary Sheffield-basaed band Bitter Suite. In their day Bitter Suite performed before thousands of people and had an army of fans that were almost too much for some places to cope with as they travelled miles to pack venues to the rafters where their heroes were performing. The big news is that Bitter Suite are back! The ...

... Tills are alive in the north COMPILED BY PETER HEPPLE Mark Ritchie tours the club scene in the north east of England and finds a rich and plentiful array of entertainment venues Anyone who has taken any interest at all in the club scene will have heard all about the fabled toughness of audiences in the norm east of England. Their club scene contin ues to be an integral part of the social life ...