REVIEW
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
The Carpenters Story
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
Wednesday 2nd March 2022
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
The Carpenters Story
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
Wednesday 2nd March 2022
What better day to be part of the audience for The Carpenters Story at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend. The 2nd March would have been Karen Carpenters’ 72nd birthday had she been able to battle the horrendous illness she struggled with for many years, Anorexia Nervosa.
The evening begins with a flashback recording of an Eagle FM radio presenter relaying the headlines of the day telling us about the Apollo 13 disaster, President Nixon, and Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles. It’s 1970 and The Carpenters are about to hit the scene.
Claire Furley fronts the 7 piece band that is The Carpenters Story and is the voice of Karen Carpenter that the packed out audience have eagerly been waiting to hear. It’s quite obvious that the majority of this crowd are regular supporters of this production and Claire receives a rapturous applause after her first numbers, We’ve Only Just Begun and Mr Postman.
Furley’s vocals are as pretty damned close to Karen Carpenter’s as can be but especially during her rendition of Ticket to Ride, if you closed your eyes, you really wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.
We are treated to over 25 Carpenters songs throughout the evening with favourites such as Rainy Days and Mondays, Top of the World, Jambalaya, Only Yesterday and Close to You with intermittent historic updates showing how The Carpenters’ career progressed over the 14 years they were performing and recording hit records.
There’s a very sweet moment when the children from the Latchingdon School Choir take to the stage to join in with Sing a Song which drew lots of ‘oohs and aahs’ from the audience.
Claire is backed by a talented ensemble put together by MD and pianist, Phil Adridge who has done a brilliant job with all the musical arrangements. The Carpenters were well known for their synthesised harmonies and these have been replicated fantastically well.
Richard Pardy certainly gets plenty of stage time with his excellent musicianship, not least with his saxophone skills during Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft. In fact, Richard could most likely start a ‘one man band’ show with the variety of instruments he has mastered and plays during the evening.
The backing band are clearly talented musicians and they all get a chance to show off their skills in that obligatory part of the show where they are all introduced and get to show off their individual skills. These can often go on for a bit too long and detract from the actual show but on this occasion it wasn’t too unbearable; although I do find it slightly self indulgent for some. That said, I did rather enjoy listening to Jude Bridges and Vicky Oliver on violin and oboe.
It also gave time for Claire to change into a beautiful, glittery, long blue dress and stunning high heels to give us a great finale medley which included, Superstar, Masquerade, Can’t Smile Without You and Solitaire to name but a few.
This production has been around for 30 years now which is quite some feat; and testament to not just how popular the music of The Carpenters is, but also to the quality of Claire’s fabulous vocals. She really embodies each note and nuance of Karen Carpenter in every song so beautifully. It is most enchanting to witness. I can’t help thinking how fabulous it would be to see Claire performing with Richard Carpenter?
It’s quite surreal to think that The Carpenters Story production has been going for longer than the actual Carpenters’ career did. I wonder if the staging and set has changed much within that time frame? The production is attempting to keep themselves current and they plugged their Facebook page for audiences to ‘like’ and ‘follow’ so as to keep up to date with them. I’d love to see a bit of hi-tech staging pizzazz be administered to reflect a more modern chic look to the production to showcase these talented musicians, instead of the slightly tacky background footage currently used.
However, that said, the ‘sound' of The Carpenters is what audiences want and that is given in abundance. The enthusiastic Cliffs Pavilion audience were up on their feet after an encore that gave us I Know I Need to be in Love and the final song, Goodbye to Love. I have a feeling this show will keep on going for a long time to come.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
The evening begins with a flashback recording of an Eagle FM radio presenter relaying the headlines of the day telling us about the Apollo 13 disaster, President Nixon, and Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles. It’s 1970 and The Carpenters are about to hit the scene.
Claire Furley fronts the 7 piece band that is The Carpenters Story and is the voice of Karen Carpenter that the packed out audience have eagerly been waiting to hear. It’s quite obvious that the majority of this crowd are regular supporters of this production and Claire receives a rapturous applause after her first numbers, We’ve Only Just Begun and Mr Postman.
Furley’s vocals are as pretty damned close to Karen Carpenter’s as can be but especially during her rendition of Ticket to Ride, if you closed your eyes, you really wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.
We are treated to over 25 Carpenters songs throughout the evening with favourites such as Rainy Days and Mondays, Top of the World, Jambalaya, Only Yesterday and Close to You with intermittent historic updates showing how The Carpenters’ career progressed over the 14 years they were performing and recording hit records.
There’s a very sweet moment when the children from the Latchingdon School Choir take to the stage to join in with Sing a Song which drew lots of ‘oohs and aahs’ from the audience.
Claire is backed by a talented ensemble put together by MD and pianist, Phil Adridge who has done a brilliant job with all the musical arrangements. The Carpenters were well known for their synthesised harmonies and these have been replicated fantastically well.
Richard Pardy certainly gets plenty of stage time with his excellent musicianship, not least with his saxophone skills during Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft. In fact, Richard could most likely start a ‘one man band’ show with the variety of instruments he has mastered and plays during the evening.
The backing band are clearly talented musicians and they all get a chance to show off their skills in that obligatory part of the show where they are all introduced and get to show off their individual skills. These can often go on for a bit too long and detract from the actual show but on this occasion it wasn’t too unbearable; although I do find it slightly self indulgent for some. That said, I did rather enjoy listening to Jude Bridges and Vicky Oliver on violin and oboe.
It also gave time for Claire to change into a beautiful, glittery, long blue dress and stunning high heels to give us a great finale medley which included, Superstar, Masquerade, Can’t Smile Without You and Solitaire to name but a few.
This production has been around for 30 years now which is quite some feat; and testament to not just how popular the music of The Carpenters is, but also to the quality of Claire’s fabulous vocals. She really embodies each note and nuance of Karen Carpenter in every song so beautifully. It is most enchanting to witness. I can’t help thinking how fabulous it would be to see Claire performing with Richard Carpenter?
It’s quite surreal to think that The Carpenters Story production has been going for longer than the actual Carpenters’ career did. I wonder if the staging and set has changed much within that time frame? The production is attempting to keep themselves current and they plugged their Facebook page for audiences to ‘like’ and ‘follow’ so as to keep up to date with them. I’d love to see a bit of hi-tech staging pizzazz be administered to reflect a more modern chic look to the production to showcase these talented musicians, instead of the slightly tacky background footage currently used.
However, that said, the ‘sound' of The Carpenters is what audiences want and that is given in abundance. The enthusiastic Cliffs Pavilion audience were up on their feet after an encore that gave us I Know I Need to be in Love and the final song, Goodbye to Love. I have a feeling this show will keep on going for a long time to come.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
POP’S MOST FAMOUS BROTHER AND SISTER DUE CELEBRATED IN CLIFFS PAVILION MUSIC SHOW
During their short, 14-year career, The Carpenters became one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The duo’s brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the US charts and left an indelible mark on the history of 20th century contemporary pop music.
This unforgettable catalogue of music is now celebrated on stage in The Carpenters Story which is appearing at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend on Wed 2 March 2022.
This show features some of the most memorable songs recorded by pop’s most famous brother and sister duo, including We’ve Only Just Begun, Top of The World, Superstar, A Song For You, (They Long To Be) Close To You and many more.
In a 70’s musical era more remembered for punk, prog rock and heavy metal, The Carpenters sold over 100 million soft-rock records. Now, nearly 50 years on, they are receiving the critical acclaim they richly deserve.
‘Back in those days, I used to be a big rock music fan’ says Phil Aldridge, The Carpenters Story’s Producer and Musical Director. ‘But I found myself more and more drawn to the sound of the unique close harmonies on ‘Close To You’ as well as Richard Carpenter’s precise, lush musical arrangements.’
Some years later, after tiring of the endless rounds of gigs and tours as a professional musician and arranger, Phil gathered together his favourite musicians and set about recreating the fabulous music of The Carpenters. The Carpenters Story was born.
Some 25 years on and the show continues to tour throughout the UK and Ireland with a growing army of fans who appreciate the wonderful music of a pop duo once described by impeached US President Nixon as ‘Young America at its best’.
The Carpenters’ career ended tragically and prematurely in 1983, when Karen Carpenter died from heart failure, brought on by complications of Anorexia Nervosa.
Their incredible songbook lives on in The Carpenters Story, in a memorable evening featuring over two hours of timeless pop classics.
The Carpenters Story plays the Cliffs Pavilion on Wed 2 March 2022 at 8pm. Tickets are available at: www.thecliffspavilion.co.uk .
During their short, 14-year career, The Carpenters became one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The duo’s brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the US charts and left an indelible mark on the history of 20th century contemporary pop music.
This unforgettable catalogue of music is now celebrated on stage in The Carpenters Story which is appearing at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend on Wed 2 March 2022.
This show features some of the most memorable songs recorded by pop’s most famous brother and sister duo, including We’ve Only Just Begun, Top of The World, Superstar, A Song For You, (They Long To Be) Close To You and many more.
In a 70’s musical era more remembered for punk, prog rock and heavy metal, The Carpenters sold over 100 million soft-rock records. Now, nearly 50 years on, they are receiving the critical acclaim they richly deserve.
‘Back in those days, I used to be a big rock music fan’ says Phil Aldridge, The Carpenters Story’s Producer and Musical Director. ‘But I found myself more and more drawn to the sound of the unique close harmonies on ‘Close To You’ as well as Richard Carpenter’s precise, lush musical arrangements.’
Some years later, after tiring of the endless rounds of gigs and tours as a professional musician and arranger, Phil gathered together his favourite musicians and set about recreating the fabulous music of The Carpenters. The Carpenters Story was born.
Some 25 years on and the show continues to tour throughout the UK and Ireland with a growing army of fans who appreciate the wonderful music of a pop duo once described by impeached US President Nixon as ‘Young America at its best’.
The Carpenters’ career ended tragically and prematurely in 1983, when Karen Carpenter died from heart failure, brought on by complications of Anorexia Nervosa.
Their incredible songbook lives on in The Carpenters Story, in a memorable evening featuring over two hours of timeless pop classics.
The Carpenters Story plays the Cliffs Pavilion on Wed 2 March 2022 at 8pm. Tickets are available at: www.thecliffspavilion.co.uk .