Review Round-Ups

Sinatra at the Palladium divides critics

David Gilmore’s production opened at the London Palladium last night

Sinatra at the Palladium
Sinatra at the Palladium
© Nobby Clark

Jane Kemp, WhatsOnStage

★★★

"For fans and interested music lovers alike, the show reinforces Frank Sinatra's status as a magnificent singer and a charismatic performer, whose gaze gets a hold of you and doesn't let go."

"The main strength of this as a live show is its band – superbly led by musical director Richard John"

"its fragmented feel makes it a sum of its parts, rather than a fully satisfying whole."

Neil McCormick, Daily Telegraph

★★★★

"Frank Sinatra was back on stage at the Palladium, in voice, image and spirit if not in person."

"If you are going to a Sinatra show, the one thing you really want is Sinatra himself. Here he was, lowered into the production on a succession of screens, in recalibrated old film and TV footage with direct close-up shots"

"Sinatra’s voice was sometimes a bit thin in the mix, the vocal tracks recaptured from filmed performances lacking the luscious depth of the live musical backing."

Mark Shenton, The Stage

★★

"Whether you'd want to pay up to £125 a ticket to see what you can essentially watch for free on YouTube is another question."

"It’s all very slick and impressively packaged, though there's also an undeniably corporate feeling to the bland result."

Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

★★

"There is a rooty-tooty big band and a plush set. The videos of Sinatra through the ages are skilfully presented. And who can quibble with that voice? The shots of Frank singing are engaging, too"

"Real, live dancers do prance around, somewhat untidily, but they go largely ignored because we are watching Sinatra on the screen. This is being sold as a ‘multi-media show’, which may be a euphemism for ‘cutting job’. It is an act of grave robbery – multi-media grave robbery, if you insist."

"Sinatra addicts may enjoy this show. More dispassionate show-goers may find it artistically threadbare"

Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

★★★

"David Gilmore‘s production is slick and has a heady sense of spectacle."

"It’s an opportunity to savour the legendary Sinatra voice — smooth and seductive, with an edge of mischief."

"the main things missing from this finely engineered multimedia show are a deep emotional charge and a proper appreciation of Sinatra’s complex brand of charisma."

Sinatra at the London Palladium runs at the Palladium until 10 October 2015.