My sister Vicki’s daughter Karen got married to English investment banker Richard Knowles in London recently. So the Hensons from around the world gathered in a rare family reunion for the wedding. Representing Manila were my mother Marina, my wife Menchu, our daughter Cristina and this irrepressible music fan.
Before leaving for London, Menchu, Cristina and I scoured the Internet for leads on which musicals to watch. We zeroed in on Tonight’s the Night, a romantic comedy set to Rod Stewart’s songs (like Mamma Mia is to Abba) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest masterpiece The Woman in White.
On the Beatboom side of things, we booked tickets for a concert featuring the Merseybeats, the Manfreds, Doctor and the Medics, among others, in Chelmsford. In case you didn’t know, the ’60s nostalgia circuit is alive and kicking all over the world.
In the last few years, we’ve managed to see Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, the Hollies, the Moody Blues, the Who, Cliff Richard and the Searchers perform in the US and the UK. What’s amazing is how the rockers – now in their late 50s or early 60s – still sing like they did 40 years ago.
Tonight’s the Night was first on the agenda. Our seats at the Victoria Palace Theatre weren’t bad – row nine, stalls to the right.
The Theatre is historic, dating back to its origins in 1832. The grey marble foyer with its old gold mosaic, the pillars of white Sicilian marble, the facade, canopy and cupola are how they were in 1911 when the auditorium was restored at a then-princely sum of about $22,000.
Elizabeth Taylor once performed at the Victoria Palace, starring in The Little Foxes in 1982. And Michael Crawford appeared in Barnum in 1984.
The storyline was simple. Stuart (Rooster) Clutterbuck, a shy gasoline station attendant, sold his soul to Satan, played by long-legged blond Hannah Waddingham, to become a rock star like Stewart so he could win Sweet Lady Mary’s heart. The rock lifestyle, however, changed Clutterbuck as he was swept from the mean streets of Detroit to the glamorous clubs of Los Angeles. In the end, Clutterbuck decided to junk the fame and stick it out with Sweet Lady Mary. Satan eventually returned Clutterbuck’s soul because of the pure love in his heart.
Stewart’s classic hits were interspersed in the dialogue. Do You Think I’m Sexy, Stay With Me, You’re in My Heart, You Wear it Well and of course, Tonight’s the Night were the popular tunes of more than 20 songs in the musical.
Whether you’re a Stewart fan or not, you probably wouldn’t enjoy Tonight’s the Night. The acting was below par. Clutterbuck was overbearing and Satan was the show’s saving grace. The plot was too shallow.
In contrast, Webber’s The Woman in White was worth more than the price of admission. It opened only last Aug. 28 and we were lucky to score tickets. The musical is an adaptation of Wilkie Collins’ period novels.
We watched Webber’s suspenseful murder mystery at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue off Leicester Square. The theater opened in 1891. For nine years, the Palace hosted Les Miserables until the Cameron Mackintosh classic moved to the Queen’s Theatre down the road early this year after 7,602 performances. Webber became the Palace’s co-owner four years ago.
A bonus in the thriller was Crawford’s incredible performance as the scheming Count Fosco. As expected, he brought the house down. You wouldn’t recognize Crawford as he was made up to be overweight. Even his face wasn’t spared the magical touch of disguise.
A love story was intertwined in the murder story with a twist. There was a minimum of props in the unique show that made use of film, special effects, a moving stage and simulators. The costumes were exquisite as it was a period play set in the 1800s. The songs were excellent, destined to rival the hits from Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. Because it only recently opened, there was no CD soundtrack available in the market.
Our seats were on the front row, just behind the orchestra pit. We overlooked the musicians conducted by Simon Lee. They weren’t the best seats in the house because we were too close to the stage but we couldn’t complain.
Then it was on the Chelmsford, about a 45-minute train ride from London, known as the "birthplace of radio" because Guglielmo Marconi organized the world’s first radio factory – the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company – there. In 1920, the first publicized entertainment broadcast in England was transmitted from Chelmsford as Australian prima donna Dame Nellie Melba sang at a concert.
From the Chelmsford train station, a bus took us to Hylands Park, free of charge. The Park is a 500-acre open field where concerts, fairs and festivals are held the year round. It will be the site of the 2007 World Scout Jamboree.
We got to the Park at 3 p.m. and the grounds were buzzing with activity. There was a huge stage on one end for the Dancing Through the Decades concert starting early evening. There were smaller stages in the far corners for secondary bands playing in the afternoon. Carnival rides, food stalls, shooting galleries and candy booths created a festive atmosphere.
We caught a rock group performing on one of the smaller stages and were impressed by Doctor and the Medics who took Norman Greebaum’s Spirit in the Sky to No. 1 in the UK charts in 1986. They sang a slew of bouncy tunes like Gimme Some Lovin, I’m a Believer, Mony, Mony and Born to be Wild.
The group’s lead vocalist "Reverend" Clive (The Doctor) Jackson is a phenomenal showman. He’s a 6’3" livewire, made up like Kiss with a top hat and a long, red coat. His sidekicks on stage wore outlandish costumes. Bev Jackson, for instance, dressed like a belly dancer.
After the show, I spoke to Jackson who said he’d gladly bring his comedy and musical act to Manila. The Medics were formed in 1983 and their version of Spirit in the Sky sold 2.4 million records.
On the main stage, the show began promptly at 6 p.m. The Merseybeats broke the ice with the Everly Brothers’ Price of Love. Tony Crane and Billy Kinsley formed the band in 1962. They’re still fronting the group and Crane’s son Adrian now plays keyboards and guitar for the "new" Merseybeats.
In all, the Merseybeats sang 11 songs including their hits Wishin’ and Hopin, Don’t Look Around, I Think of You and Sorrow. They also performed Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die, the Everlys Let it Be Me and Johnny B Goode.
The Real Thing was next. Chris Amoo, Eddie Amoo and Dave Smith relived their Liverpool soul sound with hits like You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You and Feel the Force.
Even as the crowd swelled to over 5,000, the fans were under control, sitting on the grass, drinking beer and eating chips. We leaned on the railing in front of the stage.
The third act was the Manfreds, starring Paul Jones and Mike D’abo who were Manfred Mann’s lead vocalists in the 1960s. Drummer Mike Hugg and bass guitarist Tom McGuinness from the original Manfred Mann were on stage, too. The Manfreds had the audience singing and clapping through their one-hour performance of 14 songs including Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Mighty Quinn, Sha La La, Pretty Flamingo, Build Me Up Buttercup and Just Like a Woman.
Ironically, the Manfreds are now without former leader and South African keyboard player Manfred Mann who heads his own group called the Earth Band.
Watching the British Invasion stars of the ’60s rock and roll today is such a revitalizing experience. You remember your youth, your first date and your carefree days. Suddenly, time stops and age becomes meaningless. That, in a nutshell, is what a walk down memory lane can do on a nostalgic musical trip to London.