| Britain's No 1 piano entertainer Bobby Crush is to play the ultimate camp icon Liberace in a new tribute show which tours the country next month. Liberace - Live In Las Vegas is a celebration of the man who never wore a single diamond when fifty would do. OutUK's Mike Gray has been hearing from Bobby what audiences are in store for. |
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Bobby Crush says Liberace – Live from Las Vegas! is a show that Liberace himself would have most definitely appreciated.
"He was known as "Mr. Showmanship" and it's something that we're aiming to bring back to the theatre ... an evening of glitz, glamour, music and good old-fashioned fun!" |
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Bobby has played Liberace before in a critically acclaimed performance in a West End play
about the American star and his need to keep his sexuality a secret. "The former was a dramatisation of the court case that Liberace took against the Daily Mirror in the late 50's when the journalist Cassandra wrote a scathing article suggesting that Liberace was gay (which, of course, he was!). The play was a courtroom drama and my first proper acting role. The only piano playing I did was right at the very end ... 3 minutes ... hardly worth rolling the piano on for! |
| "This new show is totally different. It's a recreation of Liberace's nightclub act with singers, dancers, a live band, six outrageous costume changes, candleabras, chandeliers and fountains ... it's going to be extremely camp! The show also features all of Liberace's greatest hits including The Beer Barrel Polka, Unchained Melody, Boogie Woogie and I'll Be Seeing You and the dialogue is taken straight from his concert videos. I get to venture into the audience and show off all the jewellery and talk about "Mama" and "Brother George" ... we're keeping the whole thing very authentic in trying to recreate the experience of a Liberace concert." |
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His portrayal of Liberace in the West End play displayed Bobby's acting talents to the full
and he believes that the experience prepared him well for this musical tribute. "He was very flamboyant and confident on stage but quiet and shy away from the crowd. I've had to approach this new show quite differently but it's been a fascinating journey learning about the two sides of his personality." After his death the Liberace Foundation have become protective of the performer's memory but they co-operated with Bobby in making the show as authentic as possible though they wouldn't let him wear any of the original costumes. "They're deemed too precious to leave the museum in Las Vegas. Instead, we're having replicas made by the same team that made all the costumes for the last series of Strictly Come Dancing and what they don't know about beading isn't worth knowing!" Though Liberace never earned the respect of the critics for his musical skills, Bobby has found it a big challenge to recreate the performances. |
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"It's been quite a slog for me because, unlike
Liberace, I wasn't classically trained so I'm having to learn a new style of playing which
has been different for me ... he didn't
make those arrangements easy! There have been quite a few rehearsals required to get
anywhere near the sound that he created but I think we're getting there."
The tour opens at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne on October 3rd and a new compilation Bobby Crush The Definitive Collection is released on Universal on October 16th. |
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Tuesday 3rd, Congress Theatre, EASTBOURNE, 7.30pm, 01323 412 000 Wednesday 4th, The Leatherhead Theatre, LEATHERHEAD, 2.30pm, 01372 365 141 Thursday 5th, Hazlitt Theatre, MAIDSTONE, 2.30pm & 7.30pm, 01622 758 611 Friday 6th, Angel Theatre, RENDLESHAM (near Woodbridge), 8.00pm, 01394 420 272 Sunday 8th, Lowther Pavilion, LYTHAM ST. ANNE'S, 7.30pm, 01253 658666 Tuesday 10th, Pavilion Theatre, WEYMOUTH, 7.30pm, 01305 783 225 Wednesday 11th, Ashcroft Theatre, CROYDON, 2.30pm, 020 8688 9291 Thursday 12th, Wyllyotts Theatre, POTTERS BAR, 2.00pm & 8.00pm, 01707 645005 Friday 13th, Lyceum Theatre, CREWE, 7.30pm, 01270 537 333 Sunday 15th, Princess Theatre, HUNSTANTON, 7.30pm, 01485 532 252 Monday 16th, Pavilion Theatre, WORTHING, 7.30pm, 01903 206 206 Tuesday 17th, Broadway Theatre, CATFORD (Lewisham), 2.00pm, 020 8690 0002 Wednesday 18th, Kenneth More Theatre, ILFORD, 3.00pm & 7.45pm, 020 8553 4466 Thursday 19th, Broadway Theatre, PETERBOROUGH, 7.30pm, 01733 316 100 Friday 20th, Winding Wheel, CHESTERFIELD, 7.30pm, 01246 345 222 Saturday 21st, Theatre Royal, ST. HELENS, 7.30pm, 01744 756 000 Sunday 22nd, Theatre Royal, MARGATE, (Canterbury Festival) 7.30pm, 01843 293 877 |