EltonJoel product reviews

Well, it was an unusual night, to say the least. Having grown up listening to Elton and Billy, I expected something close-but-not-quite, since an impersonator who pulls off a perfect clone-act is rare indeed.

The night started early. Knowing my seat was front-row, thus easy access, I arrived 20 minutes before the show was to start to avoid queues. As I approached, I found the entire audience, cast, crew and staff outside, while the fire department investigated the alarm which was howling away happily. I am a firm believer in omens and portents, and I should have listened to this one I think. Hindsight is wonderfully, annoyingly clear.

After we all returned inside and were seated with minimum fuss (the Regent Theatre staff are great, even under pressure), the lights dimmed and we heard a cheesy intro by one of the band members. They reached for their instruments and gave us a smokey, LOUD opening... during which 'Elton' and 'Billy' came on, bowed (though you could hardly see them in the billowing clouds of ether-smoke covering the stage) and sat themselves at their pianos.

The songs were... mediocre. OK, they were good to listen to, but there was something lacking. And that bloody ether-smoke kept obscuring half the stage every time someone hit the button! The poor backing vocalist, dressed in white, in front of a pale backdrop, kept getting lost! However, she did a wonderful job of this often-thankless task. There were places throughout the show that she basically kept it alive.

Here's a list of the highlights as I saw them:
    •  The reflections off the tops of the pianos, with shadows from the sax player, made cats-eyes on the backdrop. It was the most intriguing part of the whole show.
    •  Some of the songs had a few audience members singing quietly along, and a whole 4 people danced in an aisle.
    •  The hilarity caused by watching a desperate band trying the enthuse an otherwise apathetic and unimpressed audience to clap along. They just kept trying, but the few members of the audience stopped their clapping after about 30 seconds or so.
    •  Intermission, and a beer.
    •  Watching the technician trying to discretely repair the infernal smoke machine... in the middle of the second half! The show must go on...
    •  Finding out that originally "Only The Good Die Young" was supposed to have been played to a Reggae beat, but the drummer at the time rebelled, refusing to play it unless it was more up-tempo. (This is the song that had the 4 audience members dancing.)

One song I feel compelled to comment on, "Goodnight Saigon"... this song was perhaps the only Billy Joel song I had not heard previously, and it was very poignant, and powerful. Truely one of Billy's best, and Deryn sang it with feeling. About the most impressive song of the whole show.

Shortly after that they dropped the curtain! We had Elton's "Rocketman" but where was Billy's "The Pianoman"?

As a pre-planned ad-lib encore, 'Elton' returned to the stage dressed in his trademark sequined white tux and hat to join 'Billy' in singing 'The Pianoman' - a high-energy version that rounded the show off.

Overall, Hmmmmmmm... though I couldn't find any MAJOR fault with the show, there were enough little glitches and flat-patches to leave me feeling somewhat unimpressed by the whole thing. A sentiment I heard echoed by a great majority of the audience as we departed. Some were even leaving their seats BEFORE 'Elton' and 'Billy' had even gotten off their seats! A telling indication. I mean, even at the movies people usually don't start to leave until the credits are rolling. But here, there was a definite rush for the doors.