For a group to claim to be the cause of the worldwide ukulele frenzy on their promo material is a bold statement. Promising a show not just of musical talent but including; 'entertainment, joy, fun, strum and artistry' well after such hype, I went along with a feeling of optimism, having heard plenty of good word-of-mouth about this group I hoped it truly would be a thrilling show.
It was a surprise to see a show of a slightly quirky nature being in the Lyric Theatre, I would have expected to see a show of this nature in the smaller Quays Theatre, but was happy to see they had filled a majority of the expansive one thousand five hundred seater auditorium, strong proof of their popularity.
Eight performers sat centre stage dressed in traditional black and white suits, with their ukuleles and entertained the audience with an astonishing set of diverse songs, from covers of punk metal to romantic Italian love songs to 80's New Wave. Often the audience were encouraged to sing along with the chorus and join in clapping. It was delightful and completely engaging, my feet were tapping constantly.
They very much lived up to their promise of being entertaining and joyful, the patter between songs had the audience belly laughing and close to tears. The eight performers were each a unique character and highly charismatic, they by turn took the spotlight briefly to introduce a song and share a groaner of a joke. They made a great ensemble and to watch them play music together was special, they were so talented it had to be watched to be believed, the sounds they were capable of making out of a ukulele at times sounding like mandolin, shredding as though it were an electric guitar and sweet melodies using a slide across a tiny ukulele, my jaw dropped.
The ukulele is fun and I felt the tone of George Hinchcliffe's orchestra was spot on with their presentation, true artistry over such a sweet little instrument. A highlight for me was the end of the first act, they of course played a George Formby cover made even more fun by giving it a different cultural flair; and further in the evening a playful round of different songs being sung over a Handel's piece showed off the orchestra's strong vocal qualities.
My only complaint is that my face hurt from laughing and smiling throughout the whole evening's entertainment. I'm very thankful to have seen this production and will be looking out for future performances which I'd be happy to take the whole family along to, confident that the Ukulele Orchestra is universally entertaining. Very much deserving of its massive standing ovations.
Reviewer - Kerry Ely
on - 28/4/19
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