An Evening of Jazz and Cabaret at Norwich Playhouse

My evening of jazz and cabaret was certainly eventful and full of laughs. The night started with glugging down a Playhouse pint, after being reminded that there are no drinks allowed in the theatre. A night of jazz, without the option of a tipple to toast the tunes, would surely have jazz legends turning in their graves. On entering the theatre, with full bladder and empty hands, the next milestone en route to an eventful evening came when we were re-seated, as the usher had already allocated our seats to others, this being something that he more than likely went on to regret. This is where the memories of the evening get a little fuzzy, as I was unable to make any notes for my review on the Swiss Army Knife in the majority of our pockets…that’s right, my mobile phone. The first part of the show had not even reached its midway point before I had an usher acting as my security guard after a fellow row mate…I’m talking about you N2…had complained about mine as well as the rest of my generation’s slavish tendencies towards technology. I actually had my screen brightness lowered and placed a flyer as much over the screen as I could while also being able to review my notes, of course as to not distract any other jazz/cabaret goers. I can tell you that the festivities kicked off with an oddly placed, yet easy on the ear acoustic set from Michael Bailey, followed by some jazz classics from Albert Cooper. By the time the Simon Brown Quartet were half way through their set I was getting thirsty. The first part ended on a high with the Suffolk Soul Singers taking to the stage. This evening taught me that Holden Caulfield is no longer a teenager but now an OAP. I can only hope that shit got crazy in the second half, as the first half was ok. 3/10