On the 12th of April 1954, when Bill Haley and the Comets recorded their first single, Rock Around The Clock, they probably had a very dim view of just what they were starting. Not only is it the biggest selling single worldwide ever, but it is also widely regarded as the first recording in a genre that would go on to become the most influential music of the twentieth century - rock 'n' roll. The first really new music of the post-war period, rock 'n' roll spawned countless artists, but none quite as great as the six in the lineup for this show - Eddie Cochran, Roy Orbison, Del Shannon, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly and, of course, Elvis Presley.

 
This tribute gig features five singing actors - Orbison and Shannon are both played by Damien Edwards - and a simply fantastic set of musicians to back them up, as well as the obligatory spectacular light show. It is both impossible and somewhat pointless to pick out a few songs as being especially memorable, since the entire point of such a night is that all the songs are truly great ones, and perhaps the most memorable thing about the setlist was that Jailhouse Rock was not played. The songs that were there, though, proved a nicer mix than might have been expected from a purely rock 'n' roll show - anyone putting off going in fear of things getting a bit repetitive towards the end can cast their worries aside, since there is a very even mix of straight rock 'n' roll and ballads from all the cast.

And what about that cast? Truth be told, they're all very good. All can sing (as you'd expect) incredibly, and even if they can't play their guitars, they do a very good impression of trying to. Not that that affects the sound a great deal because the guitar provided by Kevin Oliver Jones is without doubt one of the highlights of the show - I can only imagine what he would be like playing straight rock songs in the vein of Jimi Hendrix of Eric Clapton. A sticking point is that the most amusing moments are those when Kludo White as Eddie Cochran is lambasting the audience, and sadly these don't come often enough. Having said that, it's enjoyable when it does happen, and as a sign of true professionalism, even a slight technical hitch couldn't put Bryan Lacey's Rick Nelson out of his stride. Gwyn Evans as Buddy Holly certainly moved about a lot, and showed great enthusiasm and talent, but I could never quite stop thinking that his guitar was just a little too small for him, and Fergus Moriarty's Elvis didn't make as much as he might have done from those infamous gyrating hips. Other than this, there was nothing really to take away from a superbly talented group of people doing what they do best.

The stage and lights were equally special, brightly coloured, well decorated (although the paintings on the back wall sometimes looked slightly out of proportion - but what am I, a theatre reviewer or an art critic?) and nicely co-ordinated to change colour and match the mood of the song. It did seem a little odd that the singers used modern microphones instead of the (far cooler) chrome 1950's ones that look like small microwave grilles, and that the mics were even radio mics rather than cable ones - it may be easier for today's singers, but it doesn't add to the late '50's feel much, even if it doesn't really matter.
Overall a very enjoyable show for lovers of rock 'n' roll music, featuring almost all the songs you'd expect it to and one or two that you might not. It just misses out on Nowt2Do's highest possible rating, but it's still more than worth your money. If you like good music, then take yourself off to Rock 'n' Roll Heaven straight away.

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