... Jet Harris and Mike Berry Isle of Wight/Touring There was a full house at the Medina Theatre, Newport, for the first local stage performance of bass guitarist Jet Harris following his move to the island. At the end of his pulsating set he received a standing ovation. Thirty years on from the Shadows, Hams' bass guitar magic is still very evident, particu larly on hits like Diamonds, Scarlett ...

... Jazz Triple Bill Royal Opera House Birmingham Royal Ballet s London season showcased three outstanding David Bintley programmes, his take on Petipas Giselle and the eternal summer of Arthur: Part I, plus this delicious evening of Jazz ballets. From an audience viewpoint, it opened uncertainly with a revival of Balanchine's Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, taken directly from the musical comedy ...

... Sunday Night Live London Palladium It is always good to see this vast stage used for what it is best noted for variety and this one- off bill was indeed strong, mixing comedy with music. Producers Darren Lord and Tony Edwards balanced the blend of headliners with excerpts from West End productions past and present and one or two up and coming names. Kenny Cantor is one of Britain's best and ...

... Cabaret 2000 Blackpool Any given night sees a different show in The Viking Hotel's Talk of the Coast cabaret room. Typical of what is in store for residents and holidaymakers alike is the Tuesday night show. Opening with the three Sweet Sensation dancers, the night starts with a science fiction medley which introduces compere Buddy Lee into a much more vocal role than previous years. Once that ...

... Complete happiness Royal Opera House Ballets of Fokine In a brutalist contemporary world, the Kirov Ballet's offering of Fokine's Chopiniana (Les Sylphides) is a timely reminder of the spiritual balm that the aesthetically beautiful may bring to the soul. To distil its rapt poetry, its purity of emotion, fluidity of gesture and movement requires concentration and control. The Kirov dancers ...

... Jewels Royal Opera House Balanchine's three-act masterpiece is essentially a triple bill, set to music by three different composers. And if the music is different so is the choreography, revealing three contrasting facets of classical dance. Without a narrative structure only costume and design link the sublime Faure-inspired Emeralds with the angular violence of the Stravinsky Rubies, while ...

... Bass Northern Star Trail Wakefield Unlike last year, when there was a superbly varied variety bill, the 2000 final consisted of five solo singers and a female duo, all of whom opted to use tracks rather than live accompaniment. Consequently, preference for style rather than voice and presentation must have come into the judges' deliberation, though they coincided in the case of the winner, ...

... The Cutting Edge Bridewell This was the first in a series of summer concerts which form part of the Bridewell's Sondheim Season. Sub-titled 'Music for a New Millennium', it was intended to reflect the excitement and range of current music theatre writing, and featured the music and lyrics of Jason Robert Brown (shows: Parade, Songs for a New World), Adam Guettel (Saturn Returns, Floyd ...

... Why Logan's Lauder Compiled By PETER HEPPLE Jimmy Logan takes time out from his 'churchstorming' to play Harry Lauder at Pitlochry Jimmy Logan has just returned from his first cruise ship engagement. It's a funny life. he said, which is just as well as that was the title of my show, which I performed in two parts. It is also the title of his autobiography, now available in paperback. ...

... Morag McLaren Pizza on the Park During her show celebrating the work of American Dorothy Fields, Morag McLaren marvels at the versatility of a lady who was able at different stages in her career to write lyrics for such contrasting songs as I Can't Give You Anything But Love and Nobody Does It Like Me. And yet the audience could really say just the same of McLaren, for this thoroughly ...

... Wicked mix of comedy and song Jermyn Street Theatre Georga Osborne-- In a Different Key It is rare nowadays for American cabaret performers to appear in London, probably because of the lack of suitable rooms the city has to offer, but Georga Osbome is happily the exception to the rule. The vivacious redhead has appeared in musicals down the Great White Way, as well as on tour, but cabaret has ...

... Perfectly Marvellous Bar Aquarius David Osborn and Carole Snowdon returned to the Bar Aquarius with a tasteful collection of standards, flavoured with some of the best new songs around, and a few of Osborn's own compositions. Snowdon reached back to a 1954 Broadway production of Peter Pan for the beautiful, but neglected ballad Never Never Land, which segued nicely into Over the Rainbow. She ...