Review: Show Stopperz
Featuring: Sir John Rowles, Tony Pantano, Pearson & Harvey, Laura Doolan
Venue: Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed Heads
Date: November 10, 2018
By Shirley Broun
Show Stopperz finale featuring George Harvey, Laura Doolan, Sir John Rowles, Tony Pantano and Robert Pearson. Photo by Sam Harnell
WOW! What a great night of pure entertainment – hilarious comedy mixed with spine chilling ballads, a touch of magic, an arsenal of all-time favourite hits by the artist that made them famous, beautiful tributes to a Wickety Wak icon, vocal brilliance in Italian and English all set to the sound of a fabulous live band.
IT was a night full of highlights, special moments and surprises when Twin Towns Services Club, Tweed Heads presented the Show Stopperz to a packed auditorium of supporters and fans on the weekend.
The show’s promotional poster was a virtual showcase of Aussie and New Zealand stars of variety and all had dominated the fabulous Twin Towns international showroom stage with their own major production shows many times over the past 40 or so years.
They included Sir John Rowles, Tony Pantano, Pearson & Harvey (formerly of The Four Kinsmen) and Laura Doolan (wife and singing partner of former Wickety Wak star the late and great Greg Doolan).
Arriving early, I was treated to a sneak peak of the performance during the traditional sound-check but even this did not prepare me for the amazing show that lay ahead.
ANTICIPATION IN THE AIR
And the anticipation was in the air from the moment the first audience members began arriving.
I spoke to a few and each had their own stories of how the individual performers had impacted their lives and made such a lasting impression, some extending over many decades.
One thing is for sure fans never forget and judging from the roll up at this show, remain loyal and major supporters for all time.
Once seated, it wasn’t long before musical director Debbie Fitzsummons had the Greg Doolan band in full swing and the beautiful songstress Laura Doolan dressed in a sparkling gown was centre stage and belting out the uptempo `She Works Hard for the Money’.
MASTERS OF COMEDY AND TIMING
From this moment on the audience’s gaze was firmly fixed on centre stage, toes were tapping, hands were clapping and it was smiles and laughter all around especially following the arrival of (Robert) Pearson and (George) Harvey.
The talented quick-witted former members of the Four Kinsmen are masters of timing, a skill they perfected during many decades touring Australia and the world including Las Vegas.
Combining their vocal, dance, magic, impressions, puppetry and timing skills, Pearson and Harvey took the audience on a hilariously funny ride that brought tears of joy and rapturous applause.
The audience soon realised that every action, every word, every song, every expression … was relevant to the overall performance and they watched and listened with great anticipation as these masters of performance took them through a myriad of experiences that covered everything from captivating vocals and a dog puppet singing opera to the hilarious pitfalls of miming as only Robert Pearson could deliver in eye-watering, laughter-provoking precision.
ABILITY TO TOUCH HEARTS
And the unique performances just kept coming as George Harvey welcomed to the stage the smooth, booming voice of multi-award winning Tony Pantano whose extraordinary vocal talents – which cover everything from Elvis to Mario Lanza - has kept him in big demand at venues across the country and abroad for many years.
Tony has the vocal ability to touch the hearts of all … whether singing a moving ballad or an up-tempo, hip swaying Elvis number … and this was exactly what he did on stage for the Show Stopperz concert presenting a highly entertaining repertoire of songs from greats such as Elvis, Tom Jones, Dean Martin and more.
Tony also teamed up with Laura Doolan in a heartfelt rendition of Ed Shearan’s `Perfect’, in which he sang in Italian, and the performance was one of the top highlights of the night, along with a song he dedicated to the late Greg Doolan and former manager Johnny Veen.
By interval the crowd was already praising the superb evening of entertainment with many proclaiming they were enjoying every single moment without exception and couldn’t wait for the second half. `Me included’ I’m here to tell you.
And the second half didn’t disappoint!
SIR JOHN ON STAGE
Following intermission it was time to welcome on stage international singing star Sir John Rowles in his first show since officially receiving his knighthood and being dubbed a `Sir’.
He made a striking figure as he strolled out onto centre stage dressed in a black shirt and suit and picked up his guitar to thunderous applause from the appreciative audience many of whom were ardent fans and friends.
It wasn’t long before the crowd was singing along as the international super star presented some of his biggest hits including `Cheryl Moana Marie’, `Tania’ and his first international hit `If I Only Had Time’.
“Thank God for that song,” he quipped.
The strong, rich tones of this New Zealand entertainment icon resonated around the auditorium and – like the many times previously he has graced the Twin Towns Service Club stage - still manage to bewitch people of all ages.
We were also treated to a special duet featuring Sir John Rowles and Tony Pantano which beautifully showcased the emotion and powerful voices of these two wonderful performers.
Autographed photos and CDs handed out to members of the audience was a much appreciated bonus for the many fans of Rowles who also revealed a copy of his autobiography aptly titled `If I Only Had Time’.
SPECIAL TRIBUTE
This fabulous night of entertainment, put together by Laura Doolan and manager Shane Veen, still had a little more to come with a special tribute to the man who started the Show Stopperz series, the late Greg Doolan.
On large screens mounted high on the showroom walls, pictorial memories of Greg were showcased as his wife Laura captured the hearts of everyone with her beautiful rendition of `I Will Always Love You’, backed by the exquisite Greg Doolan Band.
Having been a long-time friend and also managed Greg Doolan at one time I am sure this was a special moment and indeed, a very special night, of which he would have been most proud.
Bravo to all involved … for a night of pure entertainment at its very best!
November 13, 2018
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