80’s Live – The Ultimate Retro Concert

I was privileged to attend the West End Debut of the popular show 80’s Live The Ultimate Retro Concert at the Adelphi Theatre, London. This show is a step back in time to the iconic music from that era.

From the moment I arrived at the theatre, the buzz in the queue was upbeat and lively and definitely gave the vibe of a party atmosphere. As was popular in the 80’s, there were several people dressed up in striking outfits replicating some of the iconic bands, artists and fashions of that time. The theatre was full to capacity and the energy in the audience was buzzing.

As soon as the house lights went down and the overture started, the audience were up on their feet and singing: this was even before any of the band or singers had even stepped foot on the stage! Whilst this wouldn’t be acceptable in a traditional musical this was a far cry from this and I knew we were in for a great night.

The band and cast then entered the stage to huge applause and cheers and kicked the evening off with Don’t Leave Me This Way. From that moment on the audience hardly sat down. The singers encouraged audience participation throughout the evening and was well received by both them and the audience. The range of music from that era was amazing and full credit must go to the whole cast for their flawless performances. With quick changes aplenty to emulate the artist or band, the cast were on and off stage more times than I could count. The evening ended with a fabulous compilation of music from WHAM, which was a very popular choice.

The band and cast were led by the talented Sid Sims. He was the complete package of Singer, compare, keyboard player and producer of this incredible show.

The band was made up of a guitarist Rory Padfield, a drummer David Waller and keyboard player Stuart Darling. Each one giving exceptional performances. The talent of musicians was second to none.

The singers, Bryan Humphries, Wayne Smith, Karin Latham and Rachel Johnson were outstanding. Each one of them giving memorable and flawless performances taking us right back to the era.

The sound throughout was loud but clear throughout and the lighting effects were amazing with full screen projections to enhance the performances.

80’s Live is currently touring around the UK and I highly recommend getting yourself to your local theatre for an evening of nostalgia which takes you on a full journey, through music, back to the retro age of the 1980’s. A show not to be missed!

Review by Sally Smith

To find out more about 80’s Live and where else it is visiting you can check out their website.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Six, Guys & Dolls and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *