There’s a line in the programme for The Bowie Show where Creative Director Simon Gwilliam says, “When creating this show, I held onto one thought: What if Bowie himself were sitting in the audience?”. Well, I never met the man but I think he would have probably left very early as The Bowie Show does no justice to the Star Man’s phenomenal catalogue of superb music. Bowie’s output over a fifty-year career had nuance and subtlety and this show has none of that – every song is blasted out at an ear-bleeding level – my watch kept giving me “Loud Environment” warnings and I measured the decibel level at 99; 100dB is (and I quote) “Equivalent to the noise produced by a motorcycle or a jackhammer at a distance of 1 meter away. Exposure to 100 dB for an extended period can cause hearing damage and potential hearing loss”! The three singers, Elliott Rose, Sian Crowe and Greg Oliver at times had to shout over the five-piece band, sometimes straining to get their pitching right. There’s also some voiceover from John Lennon (who co-wrote “Fame” with Bowie) but it’s drowned out by the band.
The problem (well one of them) with The Bowie Show is that it’s neither a tribute show nor theatre – it falls between two stools. Apart from the three singers, there’s a dance troupe of eight who do interpretive dance although at times it’s difficult to see what they were interpreting – a dancing yeti (or was it a “woodland creature”?) anyone? It’s all a bit strange – maybe they’re trying to live up to the marketing blurb of “It’s the freakiest show”?
What saves the show and makes it bearable, is Billy Gwilliam’s superb video design which complements the music and is very creative and innovative being projected onto a big screen at the back and onto panels on either side of the stage. Another saving grace are the always interesting, if at times a little odd, costumes worn by the singers and the dancers (although not by the on-stage band who seem to have turned up in their street clothes – a trick missed?). The costumes are designed and made by Sophie Gwilliam (it’s a family affair), Cathy Kelly, Rebecca Martin and Erin Holden with some being sourced from Simon’s mum Nana Sheila (told you it was a family affair) who sells vintage clothes.
Apart from being very loud (my ears are still ringing as I write this), it’s also very long – nearly two hours forty-five (including an interval) as it features something like twenty-five of Bowie’s best-known songs although thankfully nothing from Tin Machine (a little note for all you Bowie aficionados out there), there are also some odd black-outs between songs. This doesn’t happen all the time as occasionally, one song segueways into another with some music or video but this doesn’t happen enough and it makes for a fragmented show that doesn’t have a natural flow.
Another problem is the soulless (ironic as it’s now owned by a church!) Golders Green Hippodrome. Not only is there very little atmosphere, but there’s also no signage up to the circle where we were sitting and I met a number of people wandering down the stairs as the only door into the auditorium wasn’t marked. There are also doors marked “Exit” that lead nowhere – I thought I was trapped, ever to wander the corridors of the old music hall! However, The Bowie Show is now heading off on tour to play more hospitable venues where it will probably find more audiences like last night who loved it and cheered it to the rafters (as you may have guessed, I wasn’t one of them).
Bowie had a great affinity with space writing songs such as “Space Oddity, “Starman” and “Life On Mars” and appeared as an alien in “The Man Who Fell To Earth”, so to paraphrase Mr Spock from Star Trek, “It’s Bowie, Jim – but not as we know it”.
Review by Alan Fitter
David Bowie. Music legend. Style and cultural icon.
Prepare to take a journey into the mind of the original rock ‘n’ roll alien… from his gender-bending alter-ego Ziggy Stardust in the 1970s, through the dark and desolate years of Berlin, the pure joy of Let’s Dance to the genius of Blackstar, this show takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that will make you laugh, sing and cry in equal measure.
With a cast of world-class musicians and dancers choreographed against dramatic landscapes and thought-provoking visuals, combining original twists with unique storytelling visions, the show pulls all the strands of David Bowie’s fragmented life together, treating audiences of all ages to a night of breathtaking, unexpected and ‘other worldly’ performances.
Vocals: Greg Oliver, Elliot Rose, Sian Crowe
Choreographer/Dancer: Sophie Quay
Dancers: Rebecca Cronin, Elisha Roselynn, Yanki Yau, Emma Holt, Macy Page, Jaden Wilkinson, Jordan Boury
Musicians: Alex Turney (musical director/keys), Billy Stookes (drummer), Damon Oliver (saxophone), Laura Browne (guitar), Dave Rice (bass)
Created and directed by Simon Gwilliam
Produced by John Dalston and Simon Gwilliam
THE BOWIE SHOW
Hippodrome Golders Green, North End Road, London NW11 7RP
24 January 2025
Then continues on tour to 10 February 2025, when it plays at Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue
Interesting Bowie revue show, turned into amateur hour by friends and family
Crying babies, mates shouting between circle and stalls etc