STARLIGHT CHARITY PRESENTS THE CELEBRITY GALA AT THE GARRICK THEATRE
Hey guys, so on Sunday evening I attended the Starlight Celebrity Gala at the Garrick Theatre in support of the UK's children's charity Starlight. The Show was a compilation of different performances from music to comedy. The acts included upcoming British pop group EverYoung, Lucy and Libby as Eden duo, illusionist Jamie Allan, also know as the iMagician and the ventriloquist and finalist from Britain's Got Talent Steve Hewlett.
Walking into the packed Theatre, I wasn't really sure what to expect. There were a range of different age groups, from OAP's to children and young couples. It was really nice to see so many different people coming together to support a great cause.
The show started with the opening act EverYoung singing their own version of popular song 'All about that bass' by Meghan Trainor. I have to admit I'm normally quite critical when it comes to covers, but this version was extremely good. One of the male band members from EverYoung did sound quite off key at times and I personally thought he could have probably done with a few extra singing lessons. Throughout the performance he did look quite nervous, so maybe the nerves just got the better of him this time, but other than that the rest of them were pretty good.
As soon as host and comedian 'Jeff Stevenson' walked onto the stage, rushing through his 'awkward and unfunny' joke, I thought 'oh no'. I had an idea of how this was going to turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised. Apart from speaking at mega speed, making it hard to follow so of his puns, he was actually extremely funny. Making fun of probably nearly every person in the audience, he knew exactly how to rev up the crowd.
The one act that I had mixed feelings about was ventriloquist Steve Hewlett. I was really excited for this act as I love puppetry and am even working on this idea for a children's performance with Little Echo Theatre Company, so I thought this would be pretty good performance for me to watch and get tips from. I was a little hesitant about his performance at first. He came onstage with a bunch of jokes that no one really understood and tried to cover up the awkwardness of this with more jokes, which if I'm honest didn't really work in his favour. I was expecting to see lots of different characters come to life, but it was a little different than I had initially expected. He created lots of characters from simple objects such as, his hands, towels and children's cuddly toys. Although these characters were good, I felt that he was so quick and didn't really allow them to interact with us that I couldn't really form a proper opinion. It was a little confusing and I think we were all waiting for the act to properly begin because what he was doing at this point did not feel like an act, rather than a silly punch & Judy sketch. Luckily the performance did begin to improve when he brought out his old man character 'Arthur Lager'. This character was absolutely hilarious. Picking on a female audience member, Arthur Lager really got the crowd going with his cheeky puns and naughty nature. Even the young kids in row in from of us were laughing their heads off. Although I wasn't too keen on his act before this, I do think Steve Hewlett really did pull it out the bag with Arthur Lager. Definitely worth going to see one of his shows, at least just for Arthur.
The last act and my favourite of the night was iMagician Jamie Allan. His performance was absolutely incredible. I have never really been a magic fanatic, but this man had it all, comedy, magic, illusions, performance ability and a likeable personality, I don't think I could fault him at all. His first trick started with a massive television screen where he took us through a maze of the theatre and he had to guess which room we were in. It was unbelievable when he came out onto the stage to announce where he believed we were in the maze. I was astound by correct answer. The whole audience cheered with excitement and surprise at the same time. His illusions just seemed to get better and better as they went on. Allan loves to take his illusions one step ahead and has been perfecting an amazing trick using Apple iPads, which we were lucky enough to get a sample of this in his show. The best illusion for me personally was the cutting the box and lady in half. Ive always had an idea of how this trick works, but Jamie had gone the extra mile by using a glass box instead. I couldn't figure out at all how the trick worked and to be honest I didn't really want to know as it would spoil the fun of the illusion in the first place. Allan is a mastermind constantly creating new and amazing illusions. I would definitely recommend you to go and watch his show if you want to be amazed.
Overall this Starlight Gala was an amazing collection of artists, whilst raising money for an amazing cause.
imagician: Jamie Allan & Ventriloquist Steve Hewlett with character Arthur Lager
Walking into the packed Theatre, I wasn't really sure what to expect. There were a range of different age groups, from OAP's to children and young couples. It was really nice to see so many different people coming together to support a great cause.
The show started with the opening act EverYoung singing their own version of popular song 'All about that bass' by Meghan Trainor. I have to admit I'm normally quite critical when it comes to covers, but this version was extremely good. One of the male band members from EverYoung did sound quite off key at times and I personally thought he could have probably done with a few extra singing lessons. Throughout the performance he did look quite nervous, so maybe the nerves just got the better of him this time, but other than that the rest of them were pretty good.
As soon as host and comedian 'Jeff Stevenson' walked onto the stage, rushing through his 'awkward and unfunny' joke, I thought 'oh no'. I had an idea of how this was going to turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised. Apart from speaking at mega speed, making it hard to follow so of his puns, he was actually extremely funny. Making fun of probably nearly every person in the audience, he knew exactly how to rev up the crowd.
The one act that I had mixed feelings about was ventriloquist Steve Hewlett. I was really excited for this act as I love puppetry and am even working on this idea for a children's performance with Little Echo Theatre Company, so I thought this would be pretty good performance for me to watch and get tips from. I was a little hesitant about his performance at first. He came onstage with a bunch of jokes that no one really understood and tried to cover up the awkwardness of this with more jokes, which if I'm honest didn't really work in his favour. I was expecting to see lots of different characters come to life, but it was a little different than I had initially expected. He created lots of characters from simple objects such as, his hands, towels and children's cuddly toys. Although these characters were good, I felt that he was so quick and didn't really allow them to interact with us that I couldn't really form a proper opinion. It was a little confusing and I think we were all waiting for the act to properly begin because what he was doing at this point did not feel like an act, rather than a silly punch & Judy sketch. Luckily the performance did begin to improve when he brought out his old man character 'Arthur Lager'. This character was absolutely hilarious. Picking on a female audience member, Arthur Lager really got the crowd going with his cheeky puns and naughty nature. Even the young kids in row in from of us were laughing their heads off. Although I wasn't too keen on his act before this, I do think Steve Hewlett really did pull it out the bag with Arthur Lager. Definitely worth going to see one of his shows, at least just for Arthur.
The last act and my favourite of the night was iMagician Jamie Allan. His performance was absolutely incredible. I have never really been a magic fanatic, but this man had it all, comedy, magic, illusions, performance ability and a likeable personality, I don't think I could fault him at all. His first trick started with a massive television screen where he took us through a maze of the theatre and he had to guess which room we were in. It was unbelievable when he came out onto the stage to announce where he believed we were in the maze. I was astound by correct answer. The whole audience cheered with excitement and surprise at the same time. His illusions just seemed to get better and better as they went on. Allan loves to take his illusions one step ahead and has been perfecting an amazing trick using Apple iPads, which we were lucky enough to get a sample of this in his show. The best illusion for me personally was the cutting the box and lady in half. Ive always had an idea of how this trick works, but Jamie had gone the extra mile by using a glass box instead. I couldn't figure out at all how the trick worked and to be honest I didn't really want to know as it would spoil the fun of the illusion in the first place. Allan is a mastermind constantly creating new and amazing illusions. I would definitely recommend you to go and watch his show if you want to be amazed.
Overall this Starlight Gala was an amazing collection of artists, whilst raising money for an amazing cause.
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