MIKE BATT AND BERNIE CLIFTON HEADLINE THE VARIETIES’ GOOD OLD DAYS
Singer-songwriter, Mike Batt, and all-round entertainer, Bernie Clifton, top the bill this March in The Good Old Days at City Varieties Music Hall.
Best known as the founding member of The Wombles – Britain’s biggest selling singles group of 1975 – Batt is a singer-songwriter, arranger, record producer, director, conductor and author, working across a wide range of art-forms and genres.
Having achieved initial success as a solo singer he went on to write hits for revered artists including Art Garfunkel (Bright Eyes), Elkie Brooks (Lilac Wine), Steeleye Span (All Around My Hat), Sarah Brightman and Steve Harley (The Phantom Of The Opera), as well as co-writing with Sir Tim Rice and producing for David Essex the seasonal hit, A Winter’s Tale.
In 1995 he discovered teenage violinist Vanessa Mae; producing and composing her 4m selling album The Violin Player. He also discovered singer Katie Melua with whom he sold 11m records worldwide on his own label, Dramatico. He has conducted many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony.
In addition to his many multi-platinum awards he has received five Ivor Novello awards and was created Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) by The Queen in the 2013 Birthday Honours List.
As well as being a talented singer, Bernie Clifton is probably most famous for his outrageous props… The Nun, The Diving Suit, The Biscuit Tins, The Cat on his Back, and of course The Ostrich; his unique style has taken him around the world in a career spanning 60 years.
Countless TV appearances, summer seasons, pantos and several Royal Variety Performances have cemented his place as a true comedy ‘legend’.
The Spring season is as follows:
When: Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March 2020
Who:Mike Batt headlines the opening weekend alongside guest Chairman Richard Gauntlett. Joining them will be magician and comedian Mel Harvey, ventriloquist Emily Brown and vocalists Rosie Ashe and Mickie Driver.
When: Friday 27 and Saturday 28 March 2020
Who: Comedian and entertainer, Bernie Clifton, tops the bill. The show will be presented by special guest Chairman David Graham. Also appearing are vocalists Judith Hibbert and Jan Hunt, Andy Eastwood on ukulele and magician Scott Penrose.
Each show featurestheCity Varieties Orchestraunder the masterful direction of Mr David Smith.
The Good Old Days was a BBC television light entertainment programme produced by Barney Colehan which ran from 1953 to 1983. Filmed at The Varieties, the show recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day performers in the style of the original artistes. Compered by Leonard Sachs, the show featured more than 2,000 performers over the course of its run, including Les Dawson, Barbara Windsor, Bruce Forsyth, Eartha Kitt, John Inman, Ken Dodd and Barry Cryer. The original series has recently enjoyed a re-run on BBC4.
Book online at cityvarietiesmusichall.co.uk or call box office on 0113 243 0808