Rock n' Roll Heaven

The Festival Theatre is currently hosting Bill Kenwright's Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven, which is currently touring the UK. Comprised by a cast of talented musicians and flawless singers the show is no doubt going to be, if it isn't already, a great success. Unlike several other impersonation shows this has a far more authentic and tribute-like feel. Rock n Roll Heaven revives the Golden Era of music, spanning from the reign of Elvis Presley (AJ Dean) through to the lasting legacy of Roy Orbison (Damien Edwards).

Performing itself almost in a timeline fashion, with one artist introducing the next, the show transports you back in time to enjoy the true qualities of the past performed by the very best of today’s musicians, including Pierce Tee and Christian Sutherland. For someone who isn’t fully aware of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era, the show is a toe-tappingly, feel good experience, at the interval even the youngest audience members are involuntarily dancing in their seats, and by the end the audience are on their feet spilling into the isles.

Although the target audience were in their element from the opening song, the most noticeable enjoyment came from the cast, as all the performers seemed to love every second they were on stage. However, the show was marred by the use of some occasionally unconvincing American accents, but this was not evident in the musical numbers so did not detract from the quality of the music. There were also a couple of movement issues which indicated that certain members of the cast were struggling to imitate the artist’s signature moves. Overall the show created a lasting impression with several crowd members leaving the theatre singing their old favourites and with an added skip in their step.