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An Afternoon of Comedy, Music and Mayhem

Slightly Fat Features' show, Variety By The Sea, is back for a second year at Showzam. I went to the show last year, which I loved and saw twice (my Mum also liked it) and so I was expecting them to bring some new Slightly Fat Features to the show which, hopefully, would be as good as last years.

Although they were missing a cast member, they still brought comedy, music and mayhem to the show (Presenter of the show, Goronywy Thom also used those 3 words to explain the show) and  my friend, Phebe and I were laughing the whole way through. Non stop. Goronywy had the whole audience giggling and enjoying themselves with his one liners and jokes. It was an all new show which had everything in it, from special guest comedian Steve Faulkner, a theatre play which starred a member of the audience and also new and improved songs and weird dance moves. One thing they did keep the same was John Hicks' amazing painting of a certain somebody which kept the audience guessing until finding out at the end who it was.

It had children and their parents laughing and smiling the whole way through and it is a great show for people of all ages. My favourite show at Showzam for the second year running.

Variety by the Sea can be seen at The Sands Venue until 18 February

Written by Molly-Mae Calladine and Phebe Gledhill

A Magic Night at the North Pier

North pier was the venue for the first Showzam Fringe event of the festival and if Steve Faulkner’s Monday Night Magic was anything to go by, Showzam 2012 will be the best yet. The Merrie England Bar on the North Pier was standing room only as the news spread that Steve and his impressive roster of performers were in town, and at £8 a ticket, this two hour event had to be one of the best value for money shows you are likely to see anywhere this year. The Merrie England buzzed with excitement and anticipation as the audience hurried to order their drinks and secure the best seats for the 8pm start. 

Steve, who has twice won the street magician of the year award, was a warm and graceful host throughout. His witty banter and impressive illusions have been impeccably fine tuned throughout his career and there is no doubt in my mind that that the audience would have been more than happy for him to perform solo all night. He introduced the evening and his first guest, the wonderful Alan Hudson, a finalist in Hackney Empire New Act Of the Year. His impressive slight of hand and thimble performance was the perfect start to the evening and set the standard for what was to follow.

Slightly Fat Features (performing at the Sands all this week), showed why they are the undoubted kings of family entertainment. Whilst the performance was more stunt orientated than magic, the boys from Wales had the audience in fits of laughter with an impressive combination of Slapstick comedy and audience participation (I don’t think ‘Ted’ will be attending any magic shows for a while).

After the interval, Steve returned with a master-class on miss direction and his own unique twist on the well-known 3 ball and cup trick (I still don’t know where that melon came from!), before introducing John Archer, who marched onto stage and then proceeded to swallow a 6 foot inflated balloon, whole! What followed was a performance that combined music, comedy, mathematics and magic to the highest standard.

It is a real shame that this was only a one night show as it easily could have had a longer run to a larger audience. With illusionists like Dynamo and Penn and Teller taking centre stage on TV, it is refreshing to go back to the roots of magic and see tricks up close and personal, with no gimmicks or large sets, just pure individual skill of the highest level.

All things considered, the show was absolutely fantastic and the perfect start to the Showzam Fringe events.

Showzam - Blackpool's Annual Festival of Circus, Magic and New Variety is running until 19 February.  www.showzam.co.uk

Chris Pope

A Visit to Showzam Central

Showzam Central is the main hub of the festival located in The Olympia at the Winter Gardens.  As we stepped foot into Showzam Central, which holds all the secrets to Showzam, it was like we stepped into The World of The Circus. There were different shows, such as The Monster Show, The Headless-Lady show, Van Buren’s Temple of Illusions and also the performances by The Bikini Beach Band and much more.

The Monster Show stood out for us in particular. Goosebumps arose on our arms as soon as we stepped behind the dark curtain. As the 2 main characters, Helga (who spooked the audience with her German accent, snowy white hair and white doctor’s coat) and Doctor Zomb (a young, crazy doctor making us fear for our lives) contributed into making the whole audience shiver with fear. Behind the curtain they showed numerous creatures from previous failed ‘experiments’.
Doctor Zomb chose a worried member of the audience to take part in his new invention, The Invisible Ray. For the poor audience member, her fate was unknown as she was locked in the chained box. At this point, many people had left being too spooked out and even Phebe and I were contemplating leaving because we are such wimps.

We interviewed some people visiting Showzam, and found out some people travelled from such places like London, Chester and Manchester just to see the sights and shows that Showzam had to offer.

 

Kerry Hunt, worked at Showzam 2 years ago, and comes every year to see Showzam and it gets bigger and more spectacular year by year. She has recommended it to lots of friends and family as it is a great family fun packed day out that everyone would enjoy.

Showzam is here until the Sunday 19th February and Showzam Central is open at 11am till 6pm so you have plenty of time to fit in all the Showzam Central attractions and don’t forget to bring all your family as it’s free, free, FREE!

Written by Molly-Mae Calladine and Phebe Gledhill
Photography by Jess Stone

Two (Not So) Grown Ups Go to the Panto

A visit to the pantomime is as much a part of Christmas as decorating the tree and giving presents.

Last nights performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at The Grand Theatre, Blackpool, was a magical experience for all ages, in fact it took me back to my childhood days, even the hubby got involved when it came to the 'booing' and 'he's behind you' moments.

A fantastic performance from Vicky Entwistle who plays Snow White's evil stepmother, I wasn't sure what to expect but she was hilarious and really played up to the crowd;  not forgetting the side splitting Steve Royal who kept the crowd entertained with his poor humour and muddled jokes; and with the sweet sound of Jenny Jones voice who's plays Snow White it truly was a wonderful show that was loved by all who attended last night, its definitely marked the start of the Christmas season for me. 

Not to be missed I would definitely recommend a visit to The Grand Theatre this Christmas!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is playing at the Grand Theatre until 2 January 2012

Jenny & Dave Clark (Aged 24¾)

Grease Is The Word

When you think of teenage musicals based in American high schools in the 50’s , Grease will probably be in the top 5. Anyone over the age of 25 will have grown up with the familiar songs and stylings of John Travlota and Olivia Newton Johns classic which is rolled out onto our TV screens every Christmas, a film that teaches us that leather jackets and menacing slicked back hair is no match for a big song and dance number.

The stage musical rolled into the Opera House last night for a week long stint,  with all the familiar songs found in the Grease mega mix, played at every function since 1871 such as ‘you’re the one that I want’ and ‘Grease is the word’, to the not so well known songs that appear in the background of the film such as ‘Raining on Prom night’.  All the characters were featured and astetically looking like their film counter parts, with the guy playing Danny doing a better John Travolta that John Travolta himself.

It is important to remember that Grease the film and Grease the musical are different, once you have got over that your not watching the film, what you get is a camp, funny and highly entertaining and high energy show that takes you on the Grease journey and drops you off wishing that they still made ‘em like they used to. Rhydian of X Factor fame made a cameo as the ‘Teen Angel’ and entertained the crowd like any good Ex X Factor contestant would.

 

Any one leaving the theatre not entertained or humming at least one of the catchy hits must also be the type not to like puppies or Christmas and I wish, just for one day,  my life would be a musical!

Grease is appearing at the Blackpool Opera House until 22 October

Stevie D'

A New Icon For Blackpool

Take a stroll where every step brings a new giggle as Blackpool welcomes a brand new floor covering with a difference. Our brand new Comedy Carpet sits in the shadow of the world famous Tower – and it’s one of the largest pieces of public art ever commissioned in the UK.

There’s nothing like the British sense of humour, and a visit to the Carpet is a bit like a trip to the Hollywood Walk of Fame; but immortalising and celebrating the jokes, songs and comedy catchphrases of Britain’s most well loved comedians and writers. It’s been called the horizontal Angel of the North – a must visit spot.

Artist Gordon Young, in association with leading design agency Why Not Associates, created the Comedy Carpet. Gordon also designed the climbing towers that greet visitors as they arrive from the M55 motorway - his work is all about creating art, which has relevance to its surroundings.

To celebrate the opening of the Comedy Carpet we caught up with Gordon to ask him a few questions.

How did the idea for the Comedy Carpet come about?

LDA, the landscape artists who won the resort’s competition to put something new and exciting onto the promenade, asked me to think about incorporating a text-based art work into their landscaping.

I had been looking at photographs of stars with the Blackpool Tower as the reoccurring backdrop to the photos - Eric and Ernie in deck chairs; Doddy; Les Dawson. It became obvious this spot had been a magnetic chuckle point for the nation. The sheer length and breadth of comedians who have performed in Blackpool over the years is amazing - over 80% of those who feature large in the nation’s history of comedy have appeared in the resort.

How much research did you do before starting work on the design?

Blackpool local historian Barry Band was an inspiration, a treasure of relevant information - and whilst we did access archives, Barry was always there - approachable and knowledgeable. Further afield, the Cambridge Don, social historian and writer, Graham McCann, was very helpful. I worked with Andy Altmann from Why Not Associated on all this and we have a serious collection of background material from e-bay, charity shops, second-hand bookshops - from the Victorian era to the present day and both written and recorded. We also talked to living comedians and tailored their thoughts into our task - the material certainly wasn't a few favourite gags remembered on the train from Preston to Blackpool!

How did you decide on the design and layout of the Carpet?

The Comedy Carpet is a work of art and, whilst there is an element of memorial and a lot of text, it is primarily an artwork and was structured with its own logic – based on a combination of space, cost, material and judgement. It’s cross-like shape is to do with getting from the front door of the Tower across the new headland down the steps and onto the beach in one direction, or along the promenade and towards the new Wedding Chapel building in the other.

At the centre are five strips of material belonging to Morecambe and Wise, Ken Dodd, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd and Tommy Cooper. Other people get quite large areas, the Two Ronnies for example, but we used drawings, maps I guess, which gave us areas to incorporate material and contributions from diverse talents.

At first sight, people may think the Comedy Carpet has been printed but in fact it has been an incredibly intensive and skilful process to create all the letters. Tell us about how it was made?

The Comedy Carpet is made from granites and concrete, but concrete not as we know it. The concrete is in itself a story of a new hi-tech material, which we could never have done without some serious chemistry and chemists - we spent many months researching and testing to get it right. It cannot be vibrated - the usual way to get rid of air bubbles - and on top of that we wanted it nearly as hard as the granite, not asking a lot!  Even the granites and sands have a story - there are dozens of black and red granites available - after a lot of research, ours came from India.

There are over 150,000 letters of all shapes and sizes and each is 30mm thick though you only see the top surface of each one. Every 20 to 30 years it can be ground back and renewed if necessary. Printing? If only!

What has been the reaction of the comedians to the Carpet so far?

We have tried to take comedians along with us and only a tiny handful haven't been forthcoming. Very diverse entertainers have been really enthusiastic - from Michael Crawford and the Krankies, through to the Fast Show comedians - too many to list.
 
My favourite was Rik Mayall who insists I have reached art genius status because Michelangelo, Donatello and Picasso never used this material but I have!

Ken Dodd has been on the carpet to read his own strip and, whilst he thought it was a little bit saucy, gave it the thumbs up. Given his knowledge and expertise (and love) of Blackpool that meant a lot to us.

What are your hopes for the Comedy Carpet?

That it's felt it belongs in its spot at the front of Blackpool Tower and that it can re-occuringly raise a laugh or smile. Comedy in all its guises is a big part of who we are; it has its own history and a very important place in that history is Blackpool. We have over a thousand comedians listed around the edge of the Carpet - I hope it does them and those following them justice.

850 writers and comedians are represented on the carpet - with letters ranging in size from a few centimetres to almost a metre tall so that the laughs can be enjoyed from all sides and from both close up and at height from the Tower.

The traditional music-hall style playbill inspired the huge 1880 square-metre magic carpet experience. With loads of laughs, this is the very latest in a long line up of stars of Blackpool’s entertainment history.
 
The carpet is part of Tower Festival Headland – a brand new events space in the resort, which will host huge events with a capacity of 20,000 as well as a brand new low-carbon-emission wedding venue with breathtaking views across the beach and sea.

A new souvenir programme is available explaining all the elements of the Comedy Carpet and this can be bought from the Tourist Information Centre at 1 Clifton or through our webshop by clicking here.

Alice Through the Winter Gardens.

Emma and Sandy from our Tourist Information Centre joined Alice on her adverture through the Blackpool Winter Gardens.

We arrived at the Winter Gardens wondering what to expect. There was a group of 35 people (the maximum number they can take) both Adults and children all wondering the same I expect. We were greeted by a lady who took us up the snow filled staircase with Alice themed objects along the way, it felt like a real Winter Wonderland. We entered the Spanish Hall where there were various memorabilia of Alice through Picture Frames. The White Rabbit appeared who was very entertaining, and late! Upon entering the Baronial Hall the cheeky Cheshire cat appeared on the screen that gave us directions to enter the Tea Party with the mad Hatter where there was lots of singing and dancing- very funny!

 


Other rooms included the Opera House where you met the miniature King and Queen in the Balcony and the Pavilion Theatre with the knights who fought over the crown (also, they sang on stage which was a welcome surprise). You will meet Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb, who lived up to their names!

All of the characters were charismatic and thoroughly entertaining; the walk lasts for about an hour and a half, well worth a visit to see inside the rooms of the Wintergardens that you haven’t ever seen before.

I would recommend going and seeing Alice Through The Wintergardens to both adults and children but keep in mind there is lots of standing and walking.

Alice Through the Winter Gardens is appearing daily at the Blackpool Winter Gardens until 18 September.  www.alicewintergardens.co.uk

Emma and Sandy
TIC Team

A Trip Down the Dungeon

OK so who's bright idea was it to accept the invite to go and have the b'gebers scared out of us on a Friday morning?

Well someone certainly said “yes we'd love to go along and try out Blackpool's latest attraction” so off we set this morning with some trepidation to The Blackpool Tower Dungeon.

Some of the team getting in the mood

Located in the old Tower Aquarium the new Blackpool Tower Dungeon is the latest edition to the Dungeons range, the others being in London, Edinburgh, York, Hamburg and Amsterdam.

After entering the we waiting quivering in our boots as we queued to first try the executioner's axe before being welcomed by the ghoulish jester and entering the lift to descend into the depths of the dungeon.

The dungeon tour takes you through the darkest moments of the Fyldes and Lancashire's history with a visit to the Dark Chapel of the Lytham Priory followed by a visit to the 'doctor' where poor Chris was quickly diagnosed as having something of the Pox about him and undergoing treatment.

Chris look a little too keen with that axe for my lliking!

Next we paid a visit to the Torture Chamber where your scribe found himself in a cage and poor Chris this time experienced the torturers tools! After the torture came the trial where us sinners stood in the dock before the fearsome judge where Kath was declared a witch and Chris this time stood in the dock and was accused of being a 'Mince Pie Muncher' (a name I'm sure will stick!).

Then through the Labyrinth of the Lost (a maze of mirrors) before being met by the Vikings running a mock through Blackpool. Next we paid a visit to Skippol Creeks murky caves where the smugglers abound. Nearly at the end of our journey we arrive in Pendle where the Witch Finder General was on the hunt for witches and we learnt the take of Alice Hutter.

The Drop!!!

Finally we were tried and sentenced for witchcraft as we plunged to our doom on the Extremis Drop Ride of Doom.

We all left agreeing that this was a great new attraction that was long overdue in Blackpool.

The new Blackpool Tower Dungeon opens on September 1.

Ian Butterworth

The Ice Heats Up at Pleasure Beach Arena

Last night I took my seat at the opening night of the 2011 production of Hot Ice, Aura. Always a favourite Hot Ice has been a big part of Blackpool’s rich and varied entertainment for over 70 years and it’s skill and splendour keeps me returning year after year.

This year is no exception, with some big numbers involving more skaters than it should be possible to fit onto that piece of ice, taking their turn in wowing the crowd with graceful yet daring feats.  30 skaters in total take part in this year’s production and some familiar faces including Dancing on Ice favourite Katie Stainsby, are joined by a talented international cast including Brits Tom Naylor, David Wallsingham and Andrea Law to name but a few.

Show numbers include ‘Fire’ a high energy pyrotechnic spectacular with fast skating, daring lifts and the infamous ‘head banger spin’, accompanied by fire breathing skaters! Other scenes see performers gracefully performing elegant duets above the ice suspended from silks accompanied by Alexey Kofanov’s athletic and graceful hand-balancing on the stage.

The cheeky yet talented Juan Carlos Acosta kept us amused with his camp charm and choice of finale costume which complemented those around him. There is a real variety to Hot Ice with big numbers, hauntingly beautiful duets and foot-tapping, hand-clapping numbers a plenty and as always the Stageworks costume department did the cast proud.

I personally can’t wait to see the show again and my last word is for those who saw the show last year.

THE BATH TUB IS BACK!!!!!!! 

If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out!

Hot Ice is at the Pleasure Beach Arena and runs until 4 September

Julie Holland

The Blackpool Tower Circus

You know the season is kicking into gear when The Blackpool Tower Circus gets underway and this year is no exception, so last night a few of us headed towards the iconic Blackpool Tower for the launch of the 2011 show entitled 'The Best of Blackpool' which celebrates 20 years of Producer & Director Laci Endresz Senior at The Blackpool Tower Circus. With ringmaster Harvey Seager introducing the acts and occasionally keeping the wonderful Mooky the Clown in-line, off we went on a 2 hour voyage of acrobatics, juggling, breath-holding and giggles. 

 

These days Mooky the Clown really doesn't need an introduction and his engaging charm and personality won over the crowd immediately as he got a telling-off from straight man and sidekick Mr Boo as soon as he set foot into the ring, but being Mooky he always manages to get in the last word and finish with the upper hand. I don't know why, but whenever I sit and watch those two I revert back to being an eight year old again and last night I was soon chuckling away at their antics. You cannot fail but be impressed at the range of talents these two performers possess, as throughout the show, they get the chance to show off their comedic, musical, singing and juggling skills to great effect and will have every single person clapping along and laughing at some point during the evening. One poor audience member in particular, Peter, even had to give his own rendition of Bob the Builder at one point, much to the amusement of his wife and children. Well done Peter, I'm just very glad it wasn't me!!

 

This year sees the return of several acts who have appeared at the Tower Circus during the last 20 years and one of my favorites during that time is Los Diablos del Fuego from Argentina (I think) who's drumming and skills at spinning bolas was incredible, several times I was left holding my breath as they the spun closer and closer to their heads which were literally just millimeters away.  If you love watching acrobatics and springboard acts then you are in for a treat with both the Stoian Troupe and the Arthuma Zulu Acrobats, whose strength and agility was astounding and we were treated to a feast of springboard summersaults and balancing with a whole host of bar balancing and skipping thrown in for good measure. Another popular act was Miss Simona who artistry and dexterity on the silks was fascinating to watch.

 

One of the final acts in this years show was The Flying Habana's from Cuba, a trapeze act who's double catch will make you gasp out loud, they swing about at the very top of the circus ring with such ease, I think I would have difficulty just climbing up onto the safety net! and again watch out for Mooky, who as always, tries to steal the show!!

 

All in all, a great family show - take the kids along, judging by the reactions of those who were there last night, they will absolutely love it.

 

By Julie

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