I have mixed feeling about the annual Royal Variety Performance, which has been a staple of British television since 1928. Overall, I think it's a good thing, but I can never stomach more than an hour before the "safe" mix of comedians, singers and musical vignettes slowly drains my concentration...
Taken individually, all the acts were pretty solid and fun, but thrown together and given only a few minutes each to entertain, nothing's on stage long enough to really leave a mark.
There's also the distracting fact that The Queen herself is present, giving the whole show the weird vibe that it's all for her entertainment, not ours. It also means most comedians can't resist making the Queen a part of their act, leading to time-worn gags about protocol, politeness, and perhaps a few digs at the corgies.
Our hosts at Liverpool's Empire theatre were Philip Schofield and Kate Thornton, who did a decent job. The show opened with Seal singing "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; The Beatles vibe befitting the show's new location -- but it was a shame Paul McCartney couldn't have been involved, eh?
"Pub Landlord" Al Murray dragged out his material, which you'll know is becoming paper-thin if you've followed him from his stage-show days, but at least his patriotic character had a genuine reason to mention the Queen.
The same can't be said of comedy act Big Howard/Little Howard, in which a comedian forms a double-act with a cartoon projected onto a screen next to him. A gimmicky idea, not particularly well-timed or developed, but he had a few amusing gags -- mostly poking fun at the Queen's likeness to Helen Mirren.
Enrique Iglesias and James Blunt were indicative of the show's blandness in the singing stakes, but West End shows like Viva La Diva and Hairspray were more emblematic of real stage entertainment. I never thought the sight of Michael Ball in drag and Mel Smith keeping up with the dance routines would be so fun!
Interestingly, Russell Brand appeared on the show, giving the event its one jolt of danger -- although his material was carefully restrained, of course. After a dismally unfunny appearance on Have I Got News For You a few days earlier, Brand was more entertaining here, and it was a castrated but amusing turn.
But, by the time the English National Ballet arrived, my concentration has begun to wander. The problem with variety shows is that they're a "mixed bag" style of entertainment that's not as vital these days...
Back when there were only 4 channels, a variety show was like a cornucopia of glitz for entertainment-starved TV audiences. But in the current multi-channel landscape... once the ballet comes on, you can flick over to a Top Gear repeat.
Oh, and it always irritates me how miserable the Queen looks. I know this fuss is old-hat for her, but surely having people sing the National Anthem (with the lyrics "God save the Queen") would elicit some semblance of emotion, or pride in her eyes. But it didn't look like it.
Unlike the summer's Concert For Diana, where the cameras could cut back to Prince William and Harry, to see their more natural reactions to the entertainment... we never get to see what the Queen's reaction was to Iglesias, Blunt, Brand and that Helen Mirren gag... but I think I can guess.
9 December 2007
ITV1, 8.00 pm
Taken individually, all the acts were pretty solid and fun, but thrown together and given only a few minutes each to entertain, nothing's on stage long enough to really leave a mark.
There's also the distracting fact that The Queen herself is present, giving the whole show the weird vibe that it's all for her entertainment, not ours. It also means most comedians can't resist making the Queen a part of their act, leading to time-worn gags about protocol, politeness, and perhaps a few digs at the corgies.
Our hosts at Liverpool's Empire theatre were Philip Schofield and Kate Thornton, who did a decent job. The show opened with Seal singing "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"; The Beatles vibe befitting the show's new location -- but it was a shame Paul McCartney couldn't have been involved, eh?
"Pub Landlord" Al Murray dragged out his material, which you'll know is becoming paper-thin if you've followed him from his stage-show days, but at least his patriotic character had a genuine reason to mention the Queen.
The same can't be said of comedy act Big Howard/Little Howard, in which a comedian forms a double-act with a cartoon projected onto a screen next to him. A gimmicky idea, not particularly well-timed or developed, but he had a few amusing gags -- mostly poking fun at the Queen's likeness to Helen Mirren.
Enrique Iglesias and James Blunt were indicative of the show's blandness in the singing stakes, but West End shows like Viva La Diva and Hairspray were more emblematic of real stage entertainment. I never thought the sight of Michael Ball in drag and Mel Smith keeping up with the dance routines would be so fun!
Interestingly, Russell Brand appeared on the show, giving the event its one jolt of danger -- although his material was carefully restrained, of course. After a dismally unfunny appearance on Have I Got News For You a few days earlier, Brand was more entertaining here, and it was a castrated but amusing turn.
But, by the time the English National Ballet arrived, my concentration has begun to wander. The problem with variety shows is that they're a "mixed bag" style of entertainment that's not as vital these days...
Back when there were only 4 channels, a variety show was like a cornucopia of glitz for entertainment-starved TV audiences. But in the current multi-channel landscape... once the ballet comes on, you can flick over to a Top Gear repeat.
Oh, and it always irritates me how miserable the Queen looks. I know this fuss is old-hat for her, but surely having people sing the National Anthem (with the lyrics "God save the Queen") would elicit some semblance of emotion, or pride in her eyes. But it didn't look like it.
Unlike the summer's Concert For Diana, where the cameras could cut back to Prince William and Harry, to see their more natural reactions to the entertainment... we never get to see what the Queen's reaction was to Iglesias, Blunt, Brand and that Helen Mirren gag... but I think I can guess.
9 December 2007
ITV1, 8.00 pm
