The website of entertainers (with a small e) reveals over thirty touring productions, of which fourteen are tribute acts, including Jimmy Love. With the cast of Back To The Future the Musical on their weekly night off, the opportunity was taken to present West End debut of The Rocket Man, a tribute to Elton John which has been touring for a number of years.

Elton John’s following has not been diminished by the conclusion of his final tour. So the next best thing for fans has to be a really good tribute act – and the presence of audience members dressed in show costumes suggests there is a market to be tapped into here. How then did Jimmy Love measure up?

Firstly, this was a terrific production from entertainers. Apart from being crammed full of Elton classics, presentation was excellent. A full stage video wall displayed what appeared to be bespoke graphics to support each individual song. Lighting was expertly mixed and tuned to the mood of each song.  Jimmy Love himself was backed by an extremely tight band of keyboards, lead guitar, drums and bass together with a female vocalist. The combination produced a rich sound (full marks to the engineer on this) which created an authentic representation of Elton John songs as recalled from original albums and live recordings. The show itself was well balanced in terms of material, bring the audience to its feet for up tempo numbers such as Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting but listening intently for slower songs such as Candle In The Wind running into Goodbye England’s Rose.

As much as anything, Love’s style won the audience over. Songs were frequently introduced with anecdotes related to their origin. Other links included references to Elton’s life story, related back to Love’s development of the act when appropriate. The linking thread was Love’s dry sense of humour, with a well-polished and timed routine.

Capturing the essence of Elton John is a big ask in that it has to combine excellent musicianship with very distinctive vocals. Another complication exists in the fact the Elton’s solo career spans more than fifty years, during which time his voice and piano playing has developed, resulting in subtle performance changes. As such, there are multiple performance possibilities and consequent challenges in satisfying serious afficionados. With his gold suit, girth somewhat more expanded than the 1970s version and on stage movement suggestive of some mobility restriction, there was definitely a suggestion of contemporary Elton in Love’s first appearance. However as the evening progressed and energy levels increased (along with other costumes of varying flamboyance) flavours of the younger Elton were reflected. There was also no question as to Love’s musicianship, with fine piano playing in authentic style, along with personal embellishments. While vocals might not stand up to close inspection by die hard Elton fans, the flavour and spirit were more than enough to satisfy a very full Adelphi Theatre.

Not quite perfect – but Rocket Man is still a thoroughly enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

Review by Robin Kelly

If you like this review of Rocket Man you might also like my review of Back to The Future, Cruel Intentions and Unfortunate.