We Three Kings
Format: Music Show
Genre: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Review Date: January 26 2020
Performance: January 26 2020
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
Duration: 150 Minutes incl. an interval
Age Rating: 8+
We Three Kings brought the music of Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley together as one collective to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre for a night of fine musical entertainment.
Description
The first performer was Roy Orbison, a great lookalike in some tight-fitting jeans, and also an authentic sound-a-like. Only The Lonely, I Got A Woman, Running Scared, In Dreams and Crying comprised his section, with some already up dancing in the aisles at this early stage. Buddy Holly then arrived with a slightly cheeky grin, and (accompanied by the backing musicians, who were fantastic all night), he sang Peggy Sue, Heartbeat, Every Day, You’re The One, Crying Waiting Hoping and Because I Love You. After the backing band did Rock Around The Clock and If You Want My Love, it was then onto Elvis Presley, sporting his army uniform a la G.I. Blues. Elvis performed Marie, That’s Alright Mama, Return To Sender, Wooden Heart and Shake Rattle & Roll to end the first half.
The second half (and incidentally the timings were precise throughout the night) started with Buddy, who sang That’ll Be The Day, It Doesn’t Matter Any More, Fade Away, Rip It Up and Brown Eyed Handsome Man. Roy was next to sing California Blue, It’s Over, You Got It, Claudette and the highly-popular I Drove All Night. Presley then performed his second solo set with Don’t Be Cruel, All Shook Up, It’s Now Or Never, Teddy Bear (during which Elvis gave away two small teddy bears to some extremely enthusiastic fans), One Night With You and Hound Dog. To round things off, we had Buddy singing Oh Boy, Roy performing Pretty Woman, Elvis doing The Wonder Of You, and all three combining for Johnny B Good and Great Balls Of Fire.
Analysis
All three vocalists dis a commendable job, though Roy Orbison was particularly strong and brought the original artist to life in numerous ways. The range of songs was also wise, since there was a lot of high energy and popular tracks, as well as sadder songs to slow down the pace. The backing band were, as stated, superb, in particular the drummer who also demonstrated his versatility by using his thighs and even a cardboard box to add further impact to the songs he was providing the tunes for. The crowd were well into the show all night long with continuous dancing, singing along, clapping and cheering, though in one section near us, a few attendees unfortunately had to go too far by repeatedly talking very loudly and trying their hardest to be noticed, which led to a fair few turning their heads in disgust. Still, a show has to be of a high standard in the first place to create such excitement amongst the crowd, and We Three Kings definitely achieved that.
Summary
We Three Kings is a pleasant, feel-good trek through the back catalogues of three all-time greats and comes recommended for anyone who appreciates the work of Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley.
Notes
Target Audience: Age 35+
Content: 0/5 – No Content Likely To Offend
Recommendation: Yes
Overall Rating: 8/10 – Very Good
Further Information
For more information about We Three Kings, click here.
