Lenny Henry – Cradle to Rave (Tour – Salford)

Comedian, Lenny Henry, CBE, is a lovely bloke who made a living out of making us laugh for many years now. From his first cheeky grin to his last cheery wave, Lenny has the audience on the night I attended in the palm of his hand. In his one-man comedy show, Cradle to Rave, he confesses he always longed to sing, addng another string to his bow. 

He was spotted early on after performing Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” and went on to win the New Faces talent show with his impersonation of Stevie Wonder. And there is another fork in Lenny’s road – his recent highly acclaimed West End acting performance as Othello. Even then he almost missed a cue when listening to hip hop backstage.

In his usual witty way, he takes you through the story of his life as the child of immigrant parents in Dudley, through boyhood and adolescence and the reggae he enjoyed then. He gives some hilarious observations on the courage it took to ask a girl to dance despite the mockery of his mates.

He tugs our heartstrings when telling of his rejection by Trevor Horn, the 1980’s pop producer but even then makes us laugh-out-loud.

The real rave of the show’s title comes at the end when he brings on a band and has the full house clapping, waving, singing and dancing to his charismatic voice. “I love music but music just likes me,” he says. That’s codswallop, as he loves music and we love his voice.

If music be the food of love, Lenny Henry, play on! Next stop – a musical.

– Julia Taylor