Mercury – The Ultimate Queen Tribute 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 Maddie Reynolds
We were very excited for this as we are huge Queen fans and have seen many tribute acts over the years.
The Lighthouse is in Poole and is easy to access being opposite the bus station and less than a 10 minute walk from the train station. There is plenty of parking with car parks both behind the Lighthouse and also a large one opposite. The show was taking place in the Concert Hall tonight which is a spacious hall with plenty of room to stand and dance where you are seated. We were seated in the stalls in the middle rows from where we had a great view of the stage.
Joseph Lee Jackson who portrayed Freddie Mercury was sensational with outstanding vocals; his moves and various poses were fantastic. Mercury entertained the audience with ease and encouraged lots of participation. His energy throughout the show was really impressive with a huge commitment as he took us back to the days of Freddie Mercury.
The band consisted of Glen Scrimshaw as Brian May on Guitar alongside Daniel Gilson as John Deacon and Lee Harvey as Spike Edney, Pat Coleman was fabulous on the drums as Rodger Taylor.
The live band really added to the atmosphere, with their enthusiasm playing us through all the tracks. They also encouraged lots of audience participation. There were some really great solo guitar moments by Glen Scrimshaw.
The first Act was very slow even though they played some big numbers and the audience interaction was poor. Mercury was encouraging us all with the band, there was some clapping and singing along but as soon as they stopped it would fizzle out.
The second Act started with ‘It’s a kind of Magic’ and had the majority of the audience up on their feet and dancing in the aisles. Although it took a while for the whole audience to be up and dancing and singing along, ten minutes into the second half everyone was up on their feet for the big numbers.
The favourites were ‘I want to Break Free’, ‘We will Rock you’ and ‘Radio Ga Ga’. They didn’t have many costume changes, I thought there would be a few more. The set was simple yet effective with some strobe lighting and lights on a canvas that flashed to the music and changed colour.
I would rate this show 3/5 it’s a show that will have you on your feet by the end but for me it lacked the feel good factor and the atmosphere. It may have just been our audience. I would go again, as despite this we had fun singing along and dancing in our seats until everyone was up.
Rating: 3/5
Mercury The Ultimate Tribute Is performing at Lighthouse Poole for one night only, tickets start from £24 They are touring across the country until April 2026 Dates can be found at www.mercuryqueentribute.co.uk and if you click on the venue it takes you to the theatre booking details to book tickets.
For other shows at the Lighthouse Poole, visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk