Jim Henson’s Labyrinth in Concert at Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel S-W
Labyrinth, the cult film by Jim Henson, showcasing his original masterpiece and musical fantasy film starring the iconic David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly heads to Lighthouse Poole. This was a one night only show and was a way of showcasing this unique film and complimenting it with a live band, performing the music from the film.
This was not just for fans of David Bowie, the film Labyrinth and also of the weird and wonderful mind of Jim Henson. This was the first time that I’ve seen the film so it was a great opportunity to see it with the live band.
Whilst we were enjoying the obscureness of Jim Henson’s creatures and goblins, we had the live band playing the unique and memorable melodies of Bowie’s original songs like “Magic Dance,” “Underground” and “As the World Falls Down.”
The Concert Hall was fairly full tonight and greeted the band with a rapture of applause. The band leader introduced himself and the band to the audience, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture the band members names. He acknowledged the different types of fans that were in the room, was able to get the audience energised, and those hard core fans were able to recite a few famous phrases from the film.
The audience was lively and dancing in the aisles, singing along and quoting their favourite parts in the film. Throughout the night Didymous and Ambrosius clearly were some of the favourite characters, and I must agree. The audience was made up of a mixture of ages and genders so was quite a diverse audience.
The band was brilliant! Being a first time watcher, there were times when the music was louder than the vocals on the film, which was fine as we were there to celebrate both the film and the music. As a first time watcher, I did struggle when there was this cross over but everyone around me was loving the music in surround sound!
The guitarist was brilliant. It was as if he was in exactly the place he wanted to be, right there on stage playing the music from Labyrinth. There were times when he finished a song, raised his hand and he got a big round of applause from the audience. Unfortunately this enthusiasm didn’t quite make it to the bass guitarist but the other band members made up for it with their passion.
The rest of the band was made up of three keyboardists, with one musician playing the saxophone in addition. A great saxophone solo ended the show brilliantly. The Keyboards were fantastic and recreating some of the more unusual sounds from the film. The last remaining band member was the drummer, who was always on point throughout the night. The band played out the credits with a proper jam session to see out the film. There were people up on their feet dancing away. The music together with some clever lighting, polished it all off beautifully.
There is a first time for everything and I’m so glad tonight was the first time watching Labyrinth in a bit of a different way. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening… It was definitely an eye opening!
Rating: 3.5/5
This was a one night only show and tickets started from £35.75. To see what else is on, their website is https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/labyrinth-in-concert/ or you can call the Box Office on 01202 280000.
The full address is Lighthouse, Arts and Entertainment, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG