Last night members of the visitBlackpool team set off down the Promenade to spend the evening hobnobbing with the stars at one of Blackpool latest attractions Madame Tussauds.
The latest addition to the internationally famous Madame Tussauds brand opened it’s doors on the site of the former Louis Tussauds just in time for Easter and this was the first opportunity we had had to pay it a visit.
Having been over 30 years since last visiting a Madame Tussauds I was unsure what to expect, remembering the stuffy atmosphere that I experienced in London as a child. However this couldn’t be more different. Here when you first enter there are loads of opportunities to have your pics with the stars. Have your picture with Cheryl Cole, be a judge and sit with Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh, enter the Big Brother Diary Room, chat with Jonathan Ross, or dress up with Gok Wan. You can even sit in the Who Want’s to be a Millionaire chair.
Then we set off on our journey through Lifestyle TV, Crime Drama where our mug shots were taken, into the jungle for our Bush Tucker Trial, some sporting action before a quick rest in the Rover Return and a gossip with Hilda. We then paid a visit with the glitterati of the music world before learning how these famous wax figures are created, even having the chance to create your own wax hand.
Off we went to Blackpool Pier for our picture on a deckchair before entering the TV studio and arguing with Jeremy Kyle and finally ending with the legends of comedy. We all ended the evening having a good laugh at our pictures agreeing that the work that has gone into creating these truly lifelike figures was amazing. So do yourself a favour and make a date to visit this great new attraction.
Madame Tussauds Blackpool is located on Central Promenade and open daily. Click here for more information.
Discounted tickets are also available from our Tourist Information Centre on Clifton Street.
And you can't do anything elese after a visit to the Grand Theatre
Killer rabbits, flying cows, Finnish fish slapping and coconuts for horses, yes the pure sillines of Monty Python took to the stage of the Blackpool Grand Theatre in the guise of Spamalot.
Lovingly ‘ripped off’ from the 1070’s film Monty Python and the Holy Grail we went on a fast paced search for the Grail where the team were met by French Soldiers casting their insults and The Knights Who Say Ni demanding a shrubbery.
The whole show was peppered with dancing knights, showgirls, some of the daftest songs you have ever heard including ‘The Song That Goes Like This’ and ‘I Am Not Yet Dead’ brilliantly performed by the energetic cast. Heading this very talented band was Phil Jupitus as King Arthur, Todd Carty as his sidekick Patsy whose rendition of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ had the audience singing along with gusto and not forgetting Blackpool’s own Jodie Prenger as the Lady of the Lake.
The whole show had the audience laughing from the pre-show announcement to the final curtain call and everyone left with a very big smile on their faces. It really was one of the most entertaining nights at the theatre for a very long time.
Blackpool recent played host to the hugely successful 2011 International Fitness Showcase (IFS) at the Winter Gardens.
The IFS convention, which is dedicated to the UK’s health and fitness industry, attracted over 6,000 delegates. At the end of March, over three hectic days, they took part in 300 different aerobics, step, spinning, dance, weights and other popular fitness classes which were delivered by over 70 instructors drawn from across Europe.
The 2011 event was the first time that every part of the newly restored Winter Gardens complex were utilised. The Floral Hall hosted a range of exhibition stands, the Baronial Hall became the hub for street dance and areas adjacent to the ground floor café were transformed into physio clinics, warm down zones and workout studios.
The famous Spanish Hall and iconic Empress Ballroom were home to back-to-back aerobics and Zumba classes; while the cavernous Olympia Hall became one giant step class. The Opera House theatre was also taken over with the creation of a virtual cycle race on its stage while upstairs its ornate foyer was graced by a series of Pilates sessions.
The first Buca di Beppo opened its doors in 1993 in the basement of a Minneapolis apartment building. They now have 87 restaurants across America, and have recently partnered with Village Hotels and are opening new restaurants across the UK. The latest and biggest to open so far is at the De Vere Village Heron’s Reach in Blackpool, so of course the visitBlackpool team just had to give it a try for their latest night out.
After a quick drink overlooking the golf course at the Village’s new pub The Victory we made our way to the restaurant which has been transformed to look and feel like an Italian home complete with some great ‘family photographs’
The Antipasti (to share) arrived which was a meal in itself and that was before the three gigantic bowls of pasta, Veal Saltimbocca, Chicken Parmigiana, Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken, Sautéed Potatoes and Broccoli Romano arriving at the table. By the time we had finished we were all very very full on the excellent tasting fresh Italian food.
The Legenday Meatballs
But that wasn’t the end! There was still the dessert to come in the form of two very large and VERY chocolaty pieces of cake and one piece of celebration cake, presented to us with a candelabra by the singing and clapping waiting staff to acknowledge those of us on the table that had or were shortly to celebrate their birthdays.
What a cake!
We all left after having a great night with some good food in a really different atmosphere, all agreeing that the legendary Meatballs were indeed something to behold and with a new fondness for their Berry Mojitos .
Thriller was a great show; the music reflected all the key stages in Michael Jackson’s career from being a young seven year old and performing with the Jackson 5, then along came Ben from 1972.
Each major album was covered and the show included hits from Michaels Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), History (1995), Invincible (2001) and of course the amazing Thriller album from 1982 that’s rumoured to have sold over 100m copies.
The cast were excellent - four lead singers, working really well together as well as great interaction with the dancers and the live band. Throughout the evening they connected with the audience and by the interval almost all the audience had been on their feet clapping, singing and cheering as one hit came after another. Dancing was a key part of Michael Jackson’s performance and the show successfully delivered with every ‘Michael’ step recreated to the screams and shouts of the audience.
Overall a great evening out and well worth a date in the diary.
SOAP, a show originating from Berlin and centring around seven bath tubs, has to be the highlight of Showzam. It’s the only show around that can take Opera, Burlesque, Cabaret, Circus and Comedy and combine them all within a bathroom.
The night showcased a breathtaking calibre of talent, with the individual acts enough to carry their own shows, yet instead we were treated to a night bursting with variety and soaking its audience along the way!
Markus Pabst, SOAP’S founder, has an incredible imagination, with every minor detail of the show perfectly crafted to provide great family entertainment. Marie-Andrée Lemaire was the surprise star of the show. Whilst beautifully toned performers hung gracefully from aerial straps, juggled, danced and sang the Opera, Lemaire fooled about the stage in her Union Jack Wellies. Intense and powerful as the acrobatic acts were, she ensured that the show remained a light-hearted and camp tribute to the wonders of Variety entertainment.
A stand-out performance came from the German hand-balancer, Eike von Stuckenbrok, whose steamy act left the room stunned into silence. Watching his soaking wet body fling across his bathtub with such ferocity heated up the room. It was a piercing performance, which concluded with the entire weight of his muscular body resting on just one hand. As proved true to the whole night, there is something much more impressive about Circus acts when their bodies are dripping with water.
The musical score clearly demonstrated the strength of variety the show had to offer, with tracks from numerous time periods and genres used to create comedy and evoke emotion. Acts were punctuated with the singing voice of Patricia Holtzmann, whose role as Opera Diva had her imitating classical works from the likes of Mozart and Beethoven, repeating her very own lyrics, ‘Splish, Splosh’ to anchor the songs to their wet new habitat.
SOAP is a show that the whole family can enjoy. Combining things we all love to do in the bath, like sing; dance; and play, with the things we wish we could do, but definitely couldn’t. Whilst most of the adult audience no longer take their baths with rubber ducks and plastic boats, SOAP reminded us that bath-time can still be play-time.
What a sensation! From triple sommersaults to two person Tightrope walking. The tension of the room was unbearable!
My favourite and, i'm sure, the favourite of most people was a man on the American Big Wheel who performed tricks such as skipping, blinfolded at least 20ft above the audience! The show was fantastic and I really can't wait until tommorow's variety by the sea on Central Pier.
Mooky & Mr Booo's International Circus Carnival at The Blackpool Tower Circus daily until 27 February. For further information visit the website at: www.showzam.co.uk
Today I visited Blackpool Showzam Central at the Winter Gardens. Amazing is all I can say.
If you like weird and wonderful variety, you'll love this. From a Mummy to a Half-Lady, the fun and fascination never stops. The favourite of most people was Mr. Diabolo A.K.A. 'The man who feels no pain' who stormed the show eating fire and hammering a nail into his nostril!
Later our fearless reporter Leo Walker interviewed him and found out more. I can't wait until tommorow's circus show at the tower and I hope you can join me there!
Showzam Central is open daily 11.00 - 6.00 in the Winter Gardens. For further information visit the website at: www.showzam.co.uk
Blackpool’s Merrie England Bar last night played host to Showzam’s second fringe event. Madame Galina & Her Only Friend, an act loaded with sexual innuendos and camp performances, ensured that Blackpool’s February Festival continued in true cabaret style.
Madame Galina is a Russian ballet dancer created and performed by variety star Iestyn Edwards. Prancing around in a Tutu and Tiara, in front of a small crowd gathered around candle-lit tables, Galina teased that there was nothing classy about the night’s host town: ‘…My Grandma bought it for me from Poundland, otherwise known as Blackpool.’ Whilst pointing her toes and pirouetting she commentated on the evening in her deliberately terrible Russian accent. The true comedy, however, came when Edwards’s own self broke through his female persona to insult the crowd: ‘Desperate is never attractive.’
The ballet star was a clever parody of one of theatre’s most-loved arts. Grabbing an unsuspecting member of the audience because he was: ‘The fit one,’ Madame Galina ‘recreated’ the conventional end scene of the ballet to include love, loss and despair. Although, ordering that her hand-picked partner was to come at her from behind, meant that the scene was awash with laughter.
Last night’s audience actually sounded like a laughter track, laughing in loud unison at Galina’s every move. We were encouraged to participate throughout the night, with our claps and cheers playing right into Edwards’s quick witted-humour. After a sympathetic applause from the crowd Madame Galina snapped: ‘Don’t patronise me’, which was met by howls of laughter from the audience. Similarly, when affirming that we did like the ballerina’s sparkling change of Tiara after the interval, she replied that it was the only change of scenery we should expect to see in the show.
Although the title of the show alludes to an ‘Only friend’, last night’s show featured other February Festival acts. Slightly Fat Features, the epitome of variety, showcased a group of dancing men pushing sharp Umbrellas into a tiny cardboard box without doing any damage to its occupant. An American Latina named Angel parodied Beyonce’s Single Ladies video, before wowing us with her flexibility and stamina in a Hula Hoop act. She concluded by revealing that her name was actually Abi, and that she was from Dagenham.
It was a simple show with a small stage in a small venue, but packed full of fun it showcased Blackpool’s ability to still provide us with the kind of variety the seaside resort is famous for.
Showzam Blackpool's Festival of Circus Magic and Variety runs until 27 February 2011.
Seriously. Anyone who hasn’t paid a trip to the beach in the North West recently should go and take a fresh look at Blackpool – where regeneration a go-go has seen the resort turn around its fortunes. And nothing epitomises the changes more than the annual Showzam! festival.
Now in its fourth year, and part of February Festival, this is what new Blackpool is all about – it’s sassy, it’s classy and it takes everything that made our parents and grandparents fall in love with, and in Blackpool, and pulls it high-kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
It’s a February half-term wonderland full of magical moments, ingenious illusions, never-to-be-forgotten experiences and more than a touch of camp, as the kitsch and oh-so-trendy worlds of magic, new variety and circus collide in a week of epic proportions.
This year, the event is being produced by Professor Vanessa Toulmin – a Sheffield academic who was born on the fairground and is spreading the word that Blackpool should be regarded as one of the wonders of the world. Professor Vanessa, as she’s affectionately known around the resort, explains: “Nowhere has a history to rival this town for fun and entertainment on a mass scale and it’s that grand tradition we bring to life with Showzam! It combines family entertainment with a chance for the adults to really let their hair down and party!” Let’s not argue here – those have always been things Blackpool knows how to do.
What is Showzam? It’s a bit like a wedding, “It’s such a wonderful atmosphere with something old, something new, something borrowed… and something a bit naughty!” Look at the programme of events and you’ll understand precisely what I mean – plenty of family entertainment alongside adult shows that doff a nostalgic cap to the Blackpool once epitomised by cheeky postcards and ‘we-did-it-before-Vegas’, scantily clad showgirls.
So Where can I find these Showgirls? You can can check those showgirls out this year at the glamorous Moulin Rouge themed Carnival Ball, featuring the deliciously gorgeous Sugar Dandies, DJ delights the Broken Hearts, amazing contortionist Raphealle, direct from The Crazy Horse in Paris, and hostess with the most-ess Romany, Diva of Magic. Romany appeared at the Grand Theatre last year and she’s very excited to be returning, “Showzam is one if the most colourful and entertaining festivals full of magic, fun and great entertainment and I LOVE the Tower Ballroom!” she oozes, “How completely fantastic to entertain the people of Blackpool and beyond in that beautiful room complete with be-feathered dancers, I can't wait!”
Love the moves and the glamour of Strictly Come Dancing? The evening also offers the irresistible chance to dance on the dancefloor of the Tower Ballroom at what promises to be a fabulous, feathered, Parisienne-inspired evening of entertainment.
What’s new at Showzam 2011 There are plenty of new events for 2011, “We’ve brought in the piers this year as two new venues and we’re adding in a lot more heritage tours. The beautiful buildings of Blackpool have been hidden for too long and the tours always book out, so this year we’ve extended the programme to allow us to share and celebrate the resort’s gorgeous palaces of delight with as many visitors as possible.”
North Pier will feature cabaret fringe shows for adult audiences –and they’re eclectic alright - with unusual ballet star Madame Galina joining Sheffield ukelele players the Everly Pregnant Brothers and one-man show Earl Okin. There’s a hope this will be the start of an even bigger Fringe in future years.
Meanwhile Central Pier offers fun for all the family as Slightly Fat Features proudly presents Variety by the Sea, a timeless show for all ages with magic, stunts and plenty of laughs.
Will Miss Behave be returning this year? Miss Behave, aka Amy Saunders, has been at every Showzam! so far And she’sso excited to be coming back to Blackpool at her all-time favourite venue – The Grand Theatre.
What can we expect at this year’s festival? Expect the unexpected, and more than a touch of the outrageous, as Miss Behave thefacilitator of fun hits The Grand Theatre with her very own anarchic show The Crack – fresh from a string on the Southbank dontcha know. Amy gives us a flavour: “I love variety and that’s what this show is all about. I’ve pulled together some of the most brilliant, silly, funny and bizarre acts including the incomparable Spymonkey who just did a season at the Roundhouse with me and the hilarious Paul Zenon, who I’ve been trying to get to Blackpool for three years. Every time I do Showzam! I have a blast and I think this year may very well be the best yet!”
And to demonstrate the quality of interested acts, headlining this year’s event will be the critically acclaimed SOAP. Fresh from wowing international audiences in Berlin, Edinburgh, London and direct from Sydney, SOAP is now making a clean break for the beach!
Seven bathtubs become the playground for the playful antics of a group of agile acrobats and artistes who combine circus, cabaret, comedy and burlesque in a breathtaking, splash-filled spectacle. The only real way to experience the magic is to get your ticket for the show, which has already captivated the hearts of more than a quarter of a million spectators, both young and old alike. SOAP is genuine family entertainment – catch them at The Globe at the Pleasure Beach.
Anything else Vanessa? “Oh, always. I can’t go without mentioning Showzam! Central in the Winter Gardens’ cavernous Olympia Hall. It’s the hub of the festival and offers the chance to experience original Blackpool sideshows like The Girl in the Goldfish Bowl. And this year the artist-led, free-to-experience spirit of Showzam! Central, is being extended out onto the streets of the resort with a host of street performances.”
Oh yes, it is! Visitors can enjoy all kinds of entertainers old and new, from a George Formby impersonator to cutting edge street acts including the internationally renowned (and playfully named) ‘Spurting Man’, who’ll add his comic routine to the existing fountains of the newly renovated St John’s area of town in a fabulous festival finale.
Phew!
Any Recommendations? Yes - Book now.
February Festival featuring Showzam takes place in Blackpool from 18–27 February 2011. For a full line-up and to book tickets go to www.showzam.com.uk or call 01253 478222.