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ED2011 4/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews
Liberace: Live From Heaven (Norwell Lapley Productions Ltd)
By James Hampson | Published on Friday 12 August 2011
I walked through the wind and rain to see a tribute act to Liberace in a two thirds empty lecture theatre. Stephen Fry’s voiceover as St Peter booms out, judging whether Liberace should enter heaven. The whole thing feels like a panto for grown-ups; one woman bursts into tears. Everything here is cheap: the jokes, the set, the music. But there’s no reason to sneer over such things. The hour includes on-stage banter, catty gossip, smile-inducing sing-a-longs and at the end, a sublime simultaneous defence of both homosexuality and staying in the closet. This is a valiant defence of the gaudy and uncool, against the mocking over-dogs of taste and aesthetic decorum. It’s also just great fun.
Assembly George Square, 3 – 28 Aug, 6.25pm (7.55pm), £12.00 – £14.00, fpp274.
tw rating 4/5
[jh]