The Blues Brothers at Malvern Theatres (From Malvern Gazette)

The Blues Brothers at Malvern Theatres

3:53pm Tuesday 8th February 2011 in Reviews

Not having seen the original ‘Blues Brothers’ and knowing very little about them I was not sure what to expect – a tribute act or a story. As it turned out it was the former as there was no link between songs. Without the information provided in the programme I still wouldn’t be any the wiser as to what the Blues Brothers was all about. Did this matter? You know, I don’t think it did as this was just one fun show full of an energy that left you physically tired just watching.

There were many old chart hits in the show ably sung by Simon Connolly as Jake Blues and Trevor Jary as Elwood Blues. These two certainly put everything into the show, Jary in particular having a hypnotic stage presence to match the voice, especially solid on his solo performance of ‘Try a Little Tenderness’, and dance moves. How much of the dancing was choreographed was at times hard to tell, but the seeming spontaneity of some of it only added to the fun of the occasion.

The Magnificent Seven provided excellent musical accompaniment, and whilst the Sensational Sisters of Soul occasionally seemed hard pushed to keep up with Connolly and Jary, they came up to the mark in the couple of numbers they did alone.

For ‘Blues Brothers’ fans this is an opportunity to get out the pork pie hats and dark glasses. For a ’Blues Brothers’ novice like me it was a couple of hours of good music and silly dancing; just the things to lighten the mood.

By Shane Hancock