Adelphi Theatre, London – February 13 2024
Reviewed by Mandi Riggi
3***
The Rocket Man at the Adelphi was an enjoyable night, exploring the tunes of Elton John, performed by the talented and charming Jimmy Love, who doesn’t take himself very seriously. Close your eyes, and you might think you’re actually at an Elton John concert, except for when the backup singer stops harmonizing and tries to take over the show.
The star of the show is Jimmy Love, who immediately disarms his audience when he introduces himself as a professional Elton John impersonator. He follows this up by promising a terrible evening for those who aren’t Elton fans. After finishing the song “Take Me to the Pilot,” he walks to the edge of the stage and says, “Take me to the toilet.” And so the night continues, filled with songs and spectacle, sprinkled with one-liners that bring laughter.
The audience has a lot of fun singing along, but perhaps these diehard fans don’t fully realise how much the backup singer is trying to make the show about herself. I was particularly taken out of the experience when she began belting over Jimmy Love’s version of “Tiny Dancer.” Front and centre, she claims the stage as her own, when it really belongs to Jimmy, who is the true artist here and doesn’t even need her. It’s his show after all.
The band of musicians is excellent, and the songs are very well presented. However, the imagery on the screen is sadly quite dated, ranging from visuals of fireworks to unoriginal graphics. I couldn’t help but wonder why, during the song “Tiny Dancer,” a feather floats over images of cityscapes from New York and San Francisco. As Jimmy informed us, the song was actually written and dedicated to a woman from Los Angeles, whom the songwriter eventually married.
Overall, everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. Personally, I loved Jimmy’s disarming charm and bold singing talent. However, I do hope that the backup singer calms down a bit in the future.