Some Guys Have All The Luck – The Rod Stewart Story at The Hawth Crawley Review

Reviewed by Louise Watts

Yesterday evening, myself and my Rod Stewart mad friend attended Some Guys Have All the Luck – The Rod Stewart story at The Hawth theatre in Crawley. This is the second year we have been to see the show with Paul Metcalfe as Rod and his live band.

Last year we gave the show a 5/5 rating so he clearly impressed us then, the question is did he manage to sustain such an outstanding show for yet another year? Paul has brought his show to The Hawth for 4 years now and always has a packed theatre waiting eagerly to sing and dance to some of Rod’s most popular hits.

The show is much more than a tribute to Rod’s incredible career as it also tells the story of how he got to where he is today. The lucky breaks he had, the people he met along the way and the song that was never meant to be released that ultimately kick started his solo career!

The stage is set nicely for Paul’s band to accompany him on stage. From the moment the band started playing and Paul entered the stage, you knew this was going to be an amazing night. Accompanied by Guitar, Bass, Keys and the most incredible saxophone player I have ever heard (good move getting him to join the band Paul!!) Rod’s music comes to life with Paul’s rugged voice and good looks (without Rod’s nose).

The first half runs for around an hour and contains many of Rod’s early numbers and hits as he forged his career with “The Faces”. The story is also told and assisted with the use of photos of Rod throughout various stages of his life. These songs were less familiar to me than his later hits simply due to my age, but the audience absolutely loved him. There was a lot of microphone swinging and dancing and it was crystal clear right from the outset that the band and Paul have a great rapport and were thoroughly enjoying their performance.

During the interval, there was plenty of time to make use of the facilities at The Hawth and get a drink or ice cream as the auditorium was very warm on this lovely summers evening.

The second half was party, party, party with Paul singing “Do ya think I’m sexy” wearing a leopard print jacket. This was even better than the tartan suit in the first half! He looked the part and sounded the part. People were standing up dancing and clapping along to all Rod’s biggest hits including “First cut is the deepest”, “Maggie May” and “Baby Jane”. The audience were having an amazing evening and didn’t want it to end. Sadly, it did have to come to an end but not before a standing ovation and an encore.

The band were absolutely incredible, and the show would simply not be able to go on without them. Their skill and talent were obvious and their interactions with each other were a delight to watch.

The Hawth is a lovely venue where there is simply not a bad seat in the house. There is ample free parking on site and there are refreshments available in the foyer bar. Pre-show dining is available, but you would need to check availability prior to arrival. The staff are always lovely and polite and are happy to help wherever they can.

I would thoroughly recommend this show to any Rod Stewart fan. Paul is the best Rod I have ever heard and all the time there are Rod fans out there, he will have a job! I gave him 5/5 last year but both myself and my friend felt that last night’s performance was even better, so I will give a well-deserved 5/5 again!

Rating: 5/5

Some Guys Have All The Luck – The Rod Stewart Story is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit www.someguyshavealltheluck.com.

For other shows at The Hawth in Crawley visit hawth.co.uk or call the box office on 01293 553636.

The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636