With The Wedding Singer getting ready to open its UK tour in Manchester, it has got me thinking about how nostalgia seems to be the buzzword in theatre and music at the moment.  

In Manchester alone, we have the Spice Girls and Take That gigs, endless Motown/Elvis tribute shows and revivals of musicals from days gone by. But is this a good thing?

I always argue if the band went out on top and then re-form, the public will probably not feel too ripped off.

But they have to have a better reason than just cash; they have to gel as an act. This is why All Saints’ comeback flopped as nobody believed they wanted to sing together following all of their well publicised catfights.

The Spice Girls themselves look quite separate and disinterested when seen together, publicising their ‘cash’ cow tour. Maybe their famous line “friendship never ends” from Wannabe does not ring true.   

As far as theatre goes, Rent Remixed has proven that by re-inventing a show, you can lose its overall appeal in the wash. But, this is not always the case if you try and retain the essence and treat the show with some respect. I have seen excellent revivals of The King And I and Kiss Me Kate. The current Cabaret though has lost its edginess and it feels vapid and shocking for shocking sake. 

Talking of shocks, along with many other bands- one act from the past are in Manchester tonight on the comeback trail. Who, you might ask? Take That? Boyzone? Or even The Police following Sting’s illness?

Nope, tonight Cat- they’re going to be East 17! Yes, the band from Walthamstow, minus Tony Mortimer appear at the Opera House today. A comeback too far or inspired?    

East 17 and 911 appear at the Manchester Opera House tonight at 8pm. To book click here.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 22nd, 2007 at 9:00 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.