Viva Blackpool is located just off the main promenade in Blackpool and promised to be a night of singing, dancing and comedy, which is exactly what it delivered. The show itself is split into two sections and lasts about 3 hours.
Leye D Johns acts as the comic compere at the start of the show and in between the guest artist singers and Viva dancers. He also sings a wide range of songs with a good amount of audience and participation. Throughout the show he appears in a range of costumes and guises including a tiger, a horse, a headmaster and Prince! Self-deprecating and quick to answer any hecklers, this veteran stage performer held the audience captivated whenever he was on stage, which couldn't have been easy with the at times stoic audience that was in on the night I went!
My favourite moments of his were his rendition of 'Kiss' dressed as Prince, the Madness medley and the incredibly silly, but so much fun, nursery rhyme section!
The guest artists I saw were Emma Wright and (I believe) Andy Mudd, (he was not listed in the programme).
Emma's voice rang out loud and clear whether she was singing ballads such as Emeli Sandé's 'Clown' or more up-tempo numbers like Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'. Her voice never faltered and she performed each song exceptionally.
Andy also sang with power, feeling and clarity. His songs came from a various decades and included 'Mack the Knife', 'Love Train', 'Shine' and 'Happy'. Again all were performed with enthusiam and talent. He even managed to fit in attempts at comedy asides to the audience which, for the most part, were received well.
The Viva dancers must be very fit ladies. As mentioned the show lasts almost three hours and they are involved for a large majority of it. The dance styles ranged from classic cabaret moves, salsa, ballet to more contemporary movements. They stayed in sync with each other and at times danced in character to suit the music.
Claiming to be a family friendly show, but advise parents although the show is not rude, it has elements some would deem unsuitable for children. Perhaps it was because the artists knew there were no children in the audience, but I would suggest the show unsuitable for those under 13. Campness and innuendo are abound throughout the show, which also contained a small amount of swearing, but not until a while into the show after the compere had appeared to suss out the audience.
Despite an occasional skip in the music, therough which the artists excellently recovered, the production held together well and flowed almost seamlessly from song to dance to comedy interlude and back.
If you don't mind some camp comedy and up for a party night out, then this is possibly the Blackpool show for you.
Leye D Johns acts as the comic compere at the start of the show and in between the guest artist singers and Viva dancers. He also sings a wide range of songs with a good amount of audience and participation. Throughout the show he appears in a range of costumes and guises including a tiger, a horse, a headmaster and Prince! Self-deprecating and quick to answer any hecklers, this veteran stage performer held the audience captivated whenever he was on stage, which couldn't have been easy with the at times stoic audience that was in on the night I went!
My favourite moments of his were his rendition of 'Kiss' dressed as Prince, the Madness medley and the incredibly silly, but so much fun, nursery rhyme section!
The guest artists I saw were Emma Wright and (I believe) Andy Mudd, (he was not listed in the programme).
Emma's voice rang out loud and clear whether she was singing ballads such as Emeli Sandé's 'Clown' or more up-tempo numbers like Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies'. Her voice never faltered and she performed each song exceptionally.
Andy also sang with power, feeling and clarity. His songs came from a various decades and included 'Mack the Knife', 'Love Train', 'Shine' and 'Happy'. Again all were performed with enthusiam and talent. He even managed to fit in attempts at comedy asides to the audience which, for the most part, were received well.
The Viva dancers must be very fit ladies. As mentioned the show lasts almost three hours and they are involved for a large majority of it. The dance styles ranged from classic cabaret moves, salsa, ballet to more contemporary movements. They stayed in sync with each other and at times danced in character to suit the music.
Claiming to be a family friendly show, but advise parents although the show is not rude, it has elements some would deem unsuitable for children. Perhaps it was because the artists knew there were no children in the audience, but I would suggest the show unsuitable for those under 13. Campness and innuendo are abound throughout the show, which also contained a small amount of swearing, but not until a while into the show after the compere had appeared to suss out the audience.
Despite an occasional skip in the music, therough which the artists excellently recovered, the production held together well and flowed almost seamlessly from song to dance to comedy interlude and back.
If you don't mind some camp comedy and up for a party night out, then this is possibly the Blackpool show for you.