Midnight Train To Georgia: A Celebration Of Gladys Knight
Format: Music Show
Genre: Soul & Motown
Review Date: February 8 2020
Performance: February 8 2020
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
Duration: 135 Minutes incl. an interval
Age Rating: 8+
Midnight Train To Georgia: A Celebration Of Gladys Knight brought the music of an iconic singer to the Epstein Theatre with a feel-good show supported by strong performances and fantastic backing musicians paying homage to the legendary Gladys Knight.
Description
Hayley-Ria Christian had the task of bringing Gladys Knight to life, and she did so effortlessly from start to finish. The show opened with Baby Don’t Change Your Mind, and at this point she made the statement that set the tone for the evening: “I want you to move, I want you to groove, and I want you to shake what your momma gave ya!” Part Time Love, Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me and Bourgie Bourgie were all well-received, before we got a “cha-cha” song with Make Yours A Happy Home. The slow beats came into play with If I Were Your Woman, No One Could Love You More and the sadder Neither One Of Us. The first half was rounded off with Help Me Make It Through The Night, I Heard It Through The Grapevine (the original fast-paced version), I’ve Got To Use My Imagination and the upbeat Come Back And Finish What You Started, which had the whole Epstein up dancing into the break.
For the second half, we had a bit of Bond with Licence To Kill, before The Look Of Love and then numerous tributes to other legendary singers. We had Reba McEntyre’s I Can’t Make You Love Me, before The Pips (the backing singers for the night) delivered an incredible rendition of End Of The Road from Boyz II Men. After a mention of some fallen greats, we had Purple Rain (the iconic Prince song), before the pace accelerated again with Runaway Train, and decelerated once more for The Way We Were. The Pips handled a version of My Girl, and then we had That’s What Friends Are For and Little Bit Of Love. This led us to the encore, and it could only be Midnight Train To Georgia, which went down a storm (no pun intended based on the weather today!).
Analysis
Hayley-Ria Christian was superb as Gladys Knight. She commanded the stage and full crowd control, from her strong singing to her amusing interaction with attendees between tracks. She was believable as Gladys, with her delivering all of the songs to the required high standard, and one could tell that she was a very accomplished performer who shines in productions such as this. The work rate was at the highest level all night, as was the professionalism shown by all. The variety of songs was wise as it broke things up nicely throughout the evening, ensuring that not only were the main tunes being covered but that we were getting a good mix of pace and mood all night. And I have to give another mention to The Pips who were very effective as backing singers, but who truly owned the place during their own performances. They could have had a show of their own, so to have them alongside Hayley-Ria for this performance was a real treat.
Summary
Midnight Train To Georgia: A Celebration Of Gladys Knight is as top-drawer a tribute show to the Empress Of Soul as you will find anywhere, and I urge any music fans to check it out when it reaches their local auditorium.
Notes
Target Audience: Age 35+
Content: No Content Likely To Offend
Recommendation: Yes
Overall Rating: 9/10 – Outstanding
