Now that’s what I call country!
This week, country music lovers were treated to a night of Western hits through the ages at the Festival Theatre. Hit producers, The Entertainers have an extensive repertoire of shows in their catalogue sure to cater to all tastes, from Motown and disco to Glam rock and musical theatre. Country Roads is the latest in the series to grace Scottish stages, featuring a talented cast of country music lookalikes backed by a tight five piece band.
The Festival Theatre was packed with an increasingly rowdy audience who took every opportunity to get up on their feet and belt along to all the hits you’d hope to hear. The four cast members were introduced as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Amber Jackson and Johnny Cash complete with costumes and the voices to match. The set list was packed with favourites like 9 to 5, Crazy, Rhinestone Cowboy and even one Shania Twain number, You’re Still the One, performed beautifully with just an acoustic guitar. Younger audience members might have struggled at times to recognise some of the slower songs but there was enough of a mix to keep everyone engaged.
While the show was largely a hoot, some of the connecting banter between songs was at best stilted and at worst downright cringey. However as soon as the band started playing again all was forgiven. Perhaps having a little more interplay between cast members might alleviate those awkward pauses and avoid some of the ropier jokes.
A high point came in the form of one of the band members (who largely remain out of the spotlight throughout) took to the mic and, as the one believable true American on stage, sang Don Maclean’s American Pie to rapturous applause. In comparison to his cast mates, his storytelling and performance was joyful and felt charmingly natural which was a welcome reprieve from some of the lengthy low-energy sets from “Kenny Rogers.”
Though the cast all did a great job with their songs, the whole performance felt a little surreal, especially when audience members began dancing in the aisles and at the front of the stage, even grabbing staff members for a quick waltz! There was an unshakeable feeling that this show would be better set at a holiday camp or perhaps a cruise. It was a very odd atmosphere within the grand Festival Theatre.
If you’re a die hard country fan, this is a great night out to enjoy over a few gins, but I suspect the quality of the show rests largely on the atmosphere and alcohol consumption levels in the audience. All that said, it’s a great laugh, so grab your mates, dust off the cowboy hat and make a night of it at any of the tour dates coming up!