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With a resounding barrage of garrulous and loquacious avidity, the Master of Ceremonies heralded an evening awash with nostalgia starring some of the most outstanding Castle Bromwich talent as they recreated the magic of Edwardian Music Hall to packed audiences. Funny, touching and shamelessly enjoyable; my review of Starz! by Gaslight could easily be summed up in five words, “You should have seen it!”  But, then I wouldn’t get to mention the magnificent cast, spectacular special effects, nostalgic songs, deft dance routines and script full of witty allusions to the old hit tv show, “The Good Old Days.”

From the moment the half starved work house children opened the show, through the Chairman’s polysyllabic, hyperbolic introductions of the Evening’s entertainment of colourful song and dance routines, spectacular opera, dramatic moments and comic interludes the grin of pleasure never left my face. This was absolutely fantastic showbiz! Starz! by Gaslight was a revival of the 1970s Theatre of Varieties, originally chaired by Leonard Sachs, and now resurrected with assured panache by Starz! own theatrical Maestro, Kenneth Simpson. The show followed the original television show format opening with a popular chorus with audience participation, following which the Chairman took his place at his desk to the side of the stage from where he introduced a variety of acts including some clever interaction between on stage drama and a magic lattern show with strobe lighting. The performance concluded with an exuberant exultation to the Audience to join in the chorus from the “Old Bull & Bush” performed by the whole company and following a roof raising stand up ovation, an encore performance of Starz! signature song “Show Business.”

There were so many highlights to the evening that it’s difficult to pick out just a few, but Miss Horsfall’s phrenetic performance of “Why Am I Always the Bridesmaid” cannot go unmentioned and will surely never be forgotten by the Audience Members who were showered with the tattered remnants of the Bouquet she agitatedly ripped to pieces. The two major dance routines Le Can Can & Sand Dance were expertly choreographed and flawlessly performed and Gavin Prime’s female impersonation was, as usual, hilarious. There were moments of drama full of pathos reminding us that the Good Old Days were sometimes not so good, interspersed with comedy sketches which had the audience laughing aloud.

But, for me, the highlight of the evening was not any individual performance, but the abundance of well cast, polished professional talent that graced the whole show. I was fortunate to see this production twice and on both occasions the whole audience was spell bound throughout. There was plenty of opportunity for audience participation, but there were also moments when the audience were quiet, completely captivated and engrossed by the performances on stage. I had been promised that it would be a rare night of quality entertainment, and it certainly was with the audiences leaving knowing that they had been truly entertained.

Further photos of the performance can be seen HERE