Displaying its winning formula, That’ll Be The Day triumphantly returned to the London Palladium to rapturous applause as it celebrated its 40th anniversary.
This rock and roll jukebox variety show is a joyous revisiting of iconic rock ‘n’ pop hits of the ‘50s through to the ‘80s.
Labelled as a farewell tour by its creator Trevor Payne (who will be a youthful 80 this year), That’ll Be The Day has been treading the boards since 1986, and is the UK’s longest-running touring theatre show. Payne looks remarkably like Sir Cliff Richard, and has actually appeared as ‘the Peter Pan of Pop’ in the Max and Paddy TV show.
That’ll Be The Day claims to have performed to over five million people over 35 years, including several superfans who have seen the show hundreds of times.
With cheesy banter, Payne and his sidekick presenter Gary Anderson unashamedly swathe themselves in nostalgia as they reminisce about the musical years gone by.
The songs are interspersed with old commercials and skits of classic saucy seaside postcard‑style humour, which sometimes reflects That’ll Be The Day’s origins in holiday camps and coastal theatres. Some of the comic content also highlights how comedy ages much less gracefully than popular music standards.
The chart‑based singalong retro repertoire is deftly delivered by vocalists Payne, Anderson, Lotty Anderson, Jodie Gray and Nikki Renee Hechavarria. They also give impressive vocal impersonations, and the guises of Buddy Holly, The Shadows, Lulu, The Beatles, Diana Ross, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Tom Jones all make an appearance during the evening.
Tom Ball of Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent was the special guest star, and gave an admirable rendition of Jackie Wilson’s Higher and Higher. Ball also added his voice to That’ll Be The Day’s charity single Make A Wish Come True, in support of Make A Wish UK, for which That’ll Be The Day has raised over £1 million through post‑show bucket collections.
As an ensemble, the cast work together impeccably, and are ably supported by an exceptional band of musicians.
That’ll Be The Day covers a lot of ground with many different artists over a 40‑year period, and the memory is jogged along with clever background videos featuring the names of the acts and reflective period imagery for each musical time scale.
That’ll Be The Day is an exceptional homage to the legendary performers of past decades, and despite being almost three hours long, it is a fast‑paced show that never fails to engage throughout.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
