Review: That’ll Be The Day (London Palladium)

Review by Abigail Bowden

⭐⭐⭐

Combining rock, pop, and comedy from the 1950s to the 1980s, That’ll Be The Day is the UK’s longest-running touring theatre show, now celebrating 40 years of the live variety production with a special performance at the iconic London Palladium, marking not just the special anniversary, but also director and producer’s Trevor Payne’s farewell as an onstage performer.  

The vocalists were absolutely incredible, delivering a wide variety of songs and artists, from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to Madonna, with considerable talent and skill, showing off incredibly impressive range, and ensuring every musical number was an absolute treat. Every singer had great stage presence, and brought the performances to life, with Nikki Renee Hechavarria particularly fabulous in her rendition of Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ - the standout performance of the show, for me. For this special performance, they were also joined by Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Tom Ball, who brought with him excellent vocals and an overall enjoyable performance. The vocal performances were elevated by the extremely talented onstage musicians, always compelling to watch when delivering their world-class performances. 

Additionally, these musical numbers were elevated by an impressive production. The use of lighting was particularly striking, with bold, colourful effects energising each number and making the performances feel much fuller. The costumes were also incredibly fun, with lots of costume changes for each decade and artist, vividly capturing the iconic fashion moments that evolved alongside the music.  

One of the last numbers was called Make a Wish Come True, where they invited several children to join in the performance who were being supported by Make-A-Wish, the charity that the show was in aid of. This was a special moment, although it might have been more impactful to have had this performance nearer the start of the show. 

However, despite these ingredients for an exciting night at the theatre, That’ll BeThe Day failed to come together due to an unfocused and bloated delivery. Despite his long-running involvement within the show and talented musicianship, Payne’s presence as a compère proved puzzling, with unfocused entrances, offering little sense of occasion and an understated stage presence that did not lend itself easily to the demands of hosting. Tributes such as gifting flowers to original cast members in the audience were done awkwardly and felt slightly unprepared, ensuring this muddled presentation was much to the detriment of the show.

The unfocused compèreing was exacerbated by an excessively bloated runtime. The show finished only just before 11 pm, forcing many audience members to leave prematurely, some before we had even reached the 1970s. An overwhelming amount of musical numbers presented back-to-back with little let-up or sense of pacing resulted in a show that felt cumbersome, unfocused, and, sadly, exhausting. Simple changes from disciplined editing and a tighter structure would have fulfilled the immense potential of the evening, but, unfortunately, the show simply went on for far too long and felt like a test of endurance.

Furthermore, the show could have reduced this deficit by actively engaging and energising the audience through encouraging more participation. The show was absolutely at its best when playing the most well known, high energy numbers, and encouraging the audience to get involved through clapping, swaying, and singing, however, such moments were few and far between. The sober Tuesday audience often felt too polite (and honestly, too tired by the end) to get too involved in the show. This lack of audience involvement, combined with inconsistent hosting, sometimes made the show feel like it was being performed ‘at’ the audience, rather than engaging the audience in a way that would have really elevated the tribute genre of the show. Similarly, they did not always play the most recognisable songs for each artist and decade, and I think it would have benefited the show to have played more fan favourites, as when they did do this, they achieved the best audience response. 

However, it was actually the comedy element of the show that fared the worst. I must admit, as someone born this side of the millennium, I was definitely not the target demographic for the comedy in this show. That being said, despite an occasionally funny joke, most of the skits and jokes between Payne and Gary Anderson in between performances were awkward, with dated jokes and sketches that simply did not land. I may have been in the minority for this, as these segments did get a few laughs. However, one particularly disappointing moment of the show came from vaguely homophobic and transphobic jokes made by Payne within a self-indulgent stand-up set as Mick Jagger (yes, really). This was delivered in an already eye-rolling monologue about how things have changed since the “good old days”, stopping the show for all the wrong reasons. 

That’ll Be The Day had all the ingredients for success, boasting impressive vocalists and thrilling performances. With more confident hosting and judicial editing, the production could truly soar; instead it feels more like a musical marathon that slightly overstays its welcome.

That’ll Be The Day continues to tour throughout the year. Dates and tickets at https://thatllbetheday.com/

Photos by Jessie Hawkes