The Elton John Show At The Hawth, Crawley Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
What a fabulous start to the weekend we had last night watching the amazing Elton John Show at The Hawth Theatre, Crawley. It’s a fabulous and straightforward theatre to watch any show in, with its easy access to the M23, plenty of free parking, plus the necessary comfy seats, well stocked bar & restaurant.
We, my husband, 11 year old son & I, arrived just in time for our 7.30pm performance where the lobby was full of hustle and bustle with a mixture of young and old collecting their tickets and ordering drinks. Despite the late start on a school night there were several children there, but it’s fair to say it was more of an older audience as was to be expected with Elton’s career spanning for decades.
The performance was being held in the main theatre and was almost full, which was a pretty good indication for things to come, especially as it was only a Thursday night. As it turns out Sam Wilson (aka Elton John) used to be a local lad and the audience contained school friends, family members and even his old piano teachers all of which Sam acknowledged and thanked in a really genuine and engaging way.
The stage set was simple with a giant Elton sign, a few lights, “Elton’s” piano, and the band. The band consisted of three members, a drummer, bass guitarist and lead guitarist all which were excellent players, especially Louie on lead guitar. The music covered the tunes of the 70’s & 80’s with a few little known, but great, album tracks and of course all the hits, Tiny Dancer, Daniel, Rocket Man, they were all there. Elton’s hits include a lot of ballads, and these were grouped together in two’s or three’s, with tracks such as, Candle in the Wind & Don’t let the Sun Go Down On Me, sandwiched between faster tracks like Bernie & The Jets so there was something for everyone to enjoy.
During the first half Sam introduced a special guest, who turned out to be Lennon, a local schoolboy who, at 14 years of age, turned out to be an amazing guitarist. Taking over from Louie as the lead in Crocodile Rock he produced a faultless performance to the delight of the crowd. What an amazing opportunity to showcase local talent.
We all loved this performance; it was fun and uplifting and with Sam really engaging with the audience it made it a night to remember. If your child loves music or is an Elton fan it’s perfectly suited to both children and adults, with no swearing or inappropriate language and it wasn’t too loud, in fact it was perfectly pitched. The singing and instruments were all clear and could be heard fantastically well but not, as sometimes happens, competing in terms of sound levels.
The show has a running time of around 2 hours, 2 x 50 mins plus 20 minutes interval and finishes around 10pm, perfect for a weekday evening, culminating in an aisle dancing finale with crowd favourite, I’m Still Standing.
With performances running all over the Country until at least September 2025, you are bound to find a location near you. I recommend you get tickets for this fabulous show with its incredible piano playing, flamboyant costumes, amazing band & all of Elton’s greatest hits!
Rating: 5/5
https://www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/the-hawth/whats-on/
Tickets starting from £26.50
The Hawth Theatre, The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6YZ
Box office: 01293 553636
Please see the following for further dates & locations: https://www.soulstreetproductions.com/the-elton-john-show