Rory Bremner, Making An Impression 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 Anita Connor
We were excited to be seeing Rory Bremner at Lighthouse, Poole. Rory Bremner has been known for his brilliant impressions over the last forty years, and we often watched him in his television shows which included Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and Mock the Week. We were expecting this evening to be a little different from how we have seen him on other shows, as he was going to be accompanied by one of a rotating cast of special guests throughout the tour.
I think we hit the jackpot as the celebrity star guest was Jan Raven who became famous for her work in the television impressions show Dead Ringers, so we had two impressionists for the price of one! The format of the show was very relaxed – in the first half of the show, Rory did about thirty minutes of impressions, mainly focussing on world leaders and British politicians, before Jan came on the stage and asked him some questions, interspersed with more impressions from each of them. As expected, his material was very up to date as there were references to the budget only two days previously. After the interval, Rory did another session, this time concentrating on sports commentators. He did an excellent routine in the voice of Peter O’ Sullivan, a well-known horse racing commentator. During the interval, the audience were invited to scan a QR code to be able to ask Rory questions and these were put to him by Jan. The show ended with a brilliant impression of King Charles.
Rory was introduced as ‘the Viscount of the voice box’ and ‘the Lord of the larynx’ and he certainly deserves those titles. Alongside his vocal mimicry, he is a very astute satirist, and his political commentary was perfect. We also got to learn a little about Rory as a person and how he had sometimes tricked people with his impersonations!
Lighthouse, Poole, is a great venue with both a theatre and concert hall. The acoustics in both the theatre and concert hall are excellent, and the seating is very well tiered and comfortable. The Beacon Café on the ground floor provides the opportunity for pre-theatre dining; there is also a bar serving hot and cold drinks, and ice cream and sweets are available to purchase in the foyer. The venue has accessible toilets and there are lifts to all the floors. All the staff we spoke to were pleasant, friendly, and helpful.
Parking is available at street level opposite the venue and the Dolphin Shopping Centre has a multi-storey car park very near to the concert hall. There is additional parking available at the Dolphin Swimming Pool. Poole railway station is approximately a 10 minute walk from the venue.
Tickets ranged in price from £34.65 – £45.65. The content of the show is deemed suitable for 16 years+ at parent’s discretion. The link for booking tickets is www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or you can search info@lighthousepoole.co.uk. The address is 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UPG and the telephone number is 01202 280000.
I would rate this performance 5/5. Everybody in the audience seemed to be enjoying the show and there was lots of laughter throughout the theatre. The show was named ‘Making an Impression’ and Rory certainly made an excellent impression! If you go to see one of Rory’s shows, you will not be disappointed.
Rating: 5/5