Seaside Special Show Two, Cromer Pier

By RICHARD BATSON

The flip side of Cromer's summer season has been spun at the end of the pier. But this is no second-rate “B” side to the main attraction, because the alternating second show has all the colour and comedy of Seaside Special Show One.

Many regulars in the audience who have seen both agreed it was better, but that can be mainly influenced by personal preferences for the changing content.

Both shows open with a celebration of the pier's centenary – but while Show One's Let's Celebrate theme embraces the magic of Hans Christian Anderson and pantomime, Show Two's Here and Now programme includes Razzle Dazzle jazz and bathing-belle seaside frolics.

The unlikely subject of gardening provides one of the highlights – with a slick song an dance medley which includes “Charlie Dimmock” displaying some gravity defying ground forces.

The music hall-style skills Richard Gauntlett remain the hub of the show – leaping from song and dance to slapstick and saucy comedy which has the audience crying with laughter during a solo spot as a local vicar.

His able sidekick is cheeky impersonator Wink Taylor, who brings a bagfull of stars from Bruce Forsyth to Homer Simpson to Cromer.

The twinkling toes of tap dancer Maurice Kachuk once again stunned the audience, even if Singing in the Rain was a bit too close to the current weather forecast, while Steve Galler switched from banjo to electric guitar for the second show to pluck jazz folk and classics from the fretboard.

The rich voice of Chris Harley and huge range of Kerry-Jane Beddows filled out the song content of the show, while the Robert Marlowe Dancers continued to prove that they can do more than just what it says on the tin – their vocal talents and glitzy good looks adding that final polish to a sparking show.

Seaside Special runs until September 22 with the shows alternating weekly.

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