Wednesday, August 10

Verity Rushworth in The Sound of Music

INFECTIOUS and addictive: half an hour after leaving the theatre you're guaranteed to be whistling a reprise of the Lonely Goatherd out loud – even if it does surprise the passengers on the bus home.

Direct from the West End, it says, and this realisation of a wonderful and timeless classic demonstrates how the legacy of Julie Andrews' film role is in very safe hands.

The tomboy nature of a lanky trainee nun who's unsure of her commitment to the abbey is expertly conveyed by Verity Rushworth. It's no wonder the Captain falls for her.

It's also easy to see why this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical attracts such a hardcore fan base. And while it's true you know what to expect because of the film, the stage version inevitably results in a truncation of the plot. But fear not. The reason you're going is for that music – Maria's subtle comic asides mean Verity scores an instant and natural connection with the audience. And we find that she sings too!

Reading in the lavish programme that Connie Fisher was taking the lead at some other theatres on the tour, it was something of a welcome revelation that with former Emmerdale girl Verity, we couldn't have wished for a better incarnation of Maria.

Alongside Keiron Crook as Captain Georg Von Trapp, the would-be lovers play off each other magnificently, despite the plot format making their marriage a very swift conclusion to their attraction.

The younger Von Trapp children were all spot on, winning the hearts of youngsters in the audiences, and generating a tear or two among their parents!

We all loved Claire Fishenden as the eldest von Trapp daughter Liesl, soon to realise womanhood. And Martin Callaghan's comic turn as Max Detweiler was also a winner, along with our Mother Abbess for Nottingham, Marilyn Hill Smith, who gave an exhilarating invitation to Climb Ev'ry Mountain to send the first half of the show out on a high. It's hard to resist singing along with all those bright, familiar tunes with, of course, Do-re-mi among the numerous highlights.

The house was packed for this first Saturday night of a three-week run. Judging by the whoops of approval at the curtain call, remaining seats will be selling like hot strudel.

You To Me Are Everything: a slow burn!

For a man whose band’s big No1 was sandwiched between The Wurzels and Demis Roussos at the start of that long hot summer of 1976, Eddy Amoo is a very chipper man.

The Real Thing recorded You To Me Are Everything at the start of the year after it failed to excite record bosses in London – and it kick started a career that’s lasted until the present day.

The soul trio perform at the Theatre Royal this weekend as part of an idefinite programme of live shows and expect an energy-filled audience to set the party alight.

“Life doesn’t stop just because you don’t have hit records,” says Eddy.

“We continually recycle ourselves in that me and Chris are producers and writers, and over the years we have tweaked and changed the classic tunes so that they fit in today without losing the magic. We’re always writing new material for the show and we can still stand up there and be full of energy.”

So what does it feel like to be the architect of the hit that forms the soundtrack to so many people’s lives? Did the band feel something special was about to happen when they first heard their biggest hit back in ‘76?

“Abolutely not!” he said.

“It was hawked around everyone in London before it came to us. They all turned it down.

“We were just about to get the boot from our record company because we’d had a series of misses. Our record company thought it wasn’t a bad song at all, so they gave us a small budget to record it.

“It was very early in 1976 we recorded it and then forgot all about it. Three or four months later our manager came to us and told us it was selling 100 records a day.

“Then one day we got a telegram from our manager. He said get the band down to London tomorrow as it was one of the breakers [the fastest climbers in the top 50] and they wanted us on Top of The Pops.

“Everything went mad, it was magic.”

Yet the biggest year of hits for The Real Thing was actually in the following decade, when in 1986 they hit the charts with Straight to the Heart and sccessfully released remixes of You to Me Are Everything, Can't Get By Without You, and Can You Feel the Force?

And it’s their stying power that’s the secret.

“We’re the original members – we’re not a tribute band,” says Eddy, “which is what happens when you keep replacing people over the years.

“We built up an audience over two completely different timespans and have built on that.”

X-factor Jamie set to rock the racecourse


JAMIE 'Afro' Archer is the latest star to join the line-up of the first Rasen Rocks summer concert at Market Rasen Racecourse.

He’ll bring the band Archer to the races in a show that includes headline performer Aiden Grimshaw as well as Paije Richardson.

Already an accomplished performer, he wowed all four judges with his energetic rendition of Kings of Leon's 'Sex on Fire' in the first round of auditions for the hit ITV show.

He says we can expect to hear the “new sound” at the gig, something which might surprise a few fans.

Jamie told What’s On: “Some people might be expecting us to put out a Bon Jovi record. It couldn't be further from the truth.

“We've been looking for a new rock sound. It'll surprise some. There's a lot of depth to the music and lyrics.

“Be assured though, it's big, it's fun, it's loud it's singalong - been waiting a long time to be able to play these songs out. This is the real thing.

“The whole band will be there. This is what really excites me. I've done alot of shows in the past to backing CDs and the audience don't buy it.

“They want real quality live music. And that's what they get with this band. It's going to be a blast.“

Aside from preparing and rehearsing the live dates, Archer have also been in the studio, recording their latest tracks – but not necessarily an album, according to Jamie..

He said: “The current concept of albums and singles is outdated now. People just buy songs they like. We're more interested in releasing quality singles and EPs at the moment and the album will take care of itself.

“At the moment we're promoting the first single which is called 'insanity'. It sums up how anyone is feeling when they're on the edge. It's a big song. We'll be performing it at Market Rasen.

“Everyone in this operation has worked so hard to get us here because we all believe in this. We all just want to see some decent rock music back in the charts.

“The music is based in rock but has many different influences. Especially house music. It ranges from big, big singalongs to beautiful ballads. You get a balanced diet of music with us.”

He says life has changed somewhat since the X Factor experience – and it’s one he wouldn’t swap.

“Love it,” he said, ”Love being on the road meeting the fans. I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I think of the amazing opportunities the X Factor has given me.

“All I ever wanted was to release a song and have a fair chance of people hearing it and get a shot of getting some fresh rock music out there.”

And was he looking forward to an outdoor gig at the races?

“Of course we are. Last year I got seriously rained on. Fingers crossed the weather holds out.

“But in the true British way it did not dampen spirits. The crowd absolutely had it. I know the crowd won't disappoint.”