Love Me Tender at the Liverpool Empire Review
Love Me Tender
Liverpool Empire
10-15 August 2015
Reviewed by Sue Trish
“Hilarious tongue and cheek comedy combined with toe tappingly great music!”
We arrived at the lovely Liverpool Empire in good time and as always the staff were friendly and extremely helpful, showing people to their seats or directing them to the box office etc… We picked up our tickets and decided to head up to the bar as we had plenty of time. I just love this theatre! It is always buzzing with excitement and there is just something magical about it!
We were shown to our seats and eagerly awaited the start of the show as they announced it would start in 3 minutes. We sat and waited… then looked on with a little confusion as a few men dressed in prison outfits began to bring on various pieces of set. The lights were still up and people were gradually hushing each other and nudging to the stage. The cast then began to chat to each other and act out a scene behind some prison bars and it became obvious that this was all a cleverly set up part of the show. The lights still being up added to the mystery and suddenly they went down as the cast began to sing Jailhouse Rock – which was a brilliant and funny scene!
Fresh out from prison, bad boy Chad, played by the wonderful Ben Lewis, finds himself in a small lifeless town looking for a reliable mechanic to fix his beloved motorbike. With his classic quiff and rugged good looks it didn’t take long for him to shake up the women (and men!) of the town. Natalie, a mechanic, played by the wonderfully talented Laura Tebbutt, falls instantly in love with him, and the story continues to disclose a tangled web of love as it cleverly intertwines perfectly pitched Elvis Presley songs into the main body of the show. Each song perfectly placed with all the cast delivering a pitch perfect performance – it was absolutely brilliant!
Mica Paris, playing the hard hearted bar owner Sylvia, was out of this world. Her voice is just unadulterated soul, I guarantee there was not one audience member who wasn’t blown away by it. Her fabulous performances of some Elvis classics including Only Fools Fall in Love had people on their feet. Playing Sylvia’s daughter Lorraine, Aretha Ayeh absolutely smashes her vocals too and provided some memorable singing scenes.
Taking on the role of Jim, a widower whose daughter Natalie is the town mechanic, Shaun Williams gives a great performance, including some comical sketches and well sung vocals. Laura Tebbutt plays his mechanic daughter Natalie, who cross-dresses to befriend Chad and become his side kick in a bid to get closer to him, provided some of the evening’s comic highlights and shone in her own right vocally.
The set was great, fit for purpose, not too complex and delivered flawlessly. It was set in a way that supported the narration perfectly, reflecting the scenes brilliantly and often transporting you right back in time!
The show was outstanding, funny and toe tappingly good. Standing ovations at the end and audience participation throughout reflected our appreciation of a brilliant cast and set.
A definite must see!!
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £10 to £43.90 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Love Me Tender is at the Liverpool Empire until 15 August 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
