Review - Let Me Entertain You - starring JK as Robbie Williams

So the girls and I decided to venture to the newly refurbished Winter Gardens on last Saturday to watch Let Me Entertain You – as you can probably guess this is a show dedicated to the musical career of Robbie Williams. (with the fabulous JK as Robbie leading the show!)

From the minute the show kicked off, we knew it was going to be a great night. Starting with “Let Me Entertain You” we were taken back to Knebworth, which has to be the pinnacle of Robbie Williams career. We were transported through Robbie’s back catalogue – classic hits such as Rock DJ, Feel, Millennium and Come Undone were all in there; mixed with Bodies, You Know Me and Morning Sun from Robbie’s most recent solo album. Fantastic live performances of Monsoon and Strong were also part of the set, reminding you of how great Robbie is at getting the audience involved!

Easing us into the 2nd half, we were treated to a wonderful swing section and reminded of the classic Albert Hall concert. This certainly raised the profile of “Robbie Williams – the Performer” and JK did himself proud. Footage of Sammy Davis Jr and Frank Sinatra were projected above the stage, which really drove home the sense of the occasion. A superb version of She’s the One followed the swing set – just JK on vocals and a fantastic pianist; and you could just tell that they both enjoyed the song as much as the audience did.
The thing about JK as Robbie is that his mannerisms and the way he performs is uncannily like Robbie; whilst the performance itself was energetic, engaging and vocally brilliant. “Are you with me?” was the call from JK and looking around the theatre, the audience most certainly were.
In true Robbie style, there were a few cover versions and the audience were lapping up Suspicious Minds and Video Killed the Radio Star – which Robbie covered at his Electric Proms concert with Trevor Horn in 2009. Not forgetting the live version of Back for Good. With plenty of audience participation throughout the night, this was definitely – in the words of Mr Williams – “A bouncing session!”

To complete the story of Robbie’s career, we were brought full circle and the show was drawn to a close with a fabulous montage of Eight Letters, before launching into The Flood – paying tribute to Robbie rejoining Take That late last year. Not forgetting the hit that everyone knows when you mention Robbie Williams – Angels as the encore.


Cue 700 people on their feet, clapping and cheering; it was safe to say we had definitely been entertained! For us it was non-stop and the girls who had not seen JK perform before all commented that the essence of a live Robbie gig had been captured in that theatre that night! We all felt like we had been put through our paces; not to mention JK who himself said he was replacing this weeks gym sessions with the performance he had put down that night.

With fantastic set changes, superb costumes, a full band and dancers, JK rocked the Opera House for a solid two and a half hours… now that’s great value for money! And I've only covered a few of the highlights! The show opened to rapturous applause last year at the Regent Theatre, Stoke - where Robbie Williams' father Pete Conway also enjoyed the performance.



At the beginning of the night, JK told us that this was not just a tribute show, this was a celebration of the career of one of the most successful pop acts in the last 20 years and he wanted to do it justice. He was right – it was, and he certainly did!


A must see show for any Robbie Williams fan! Should Let Me Entertain You come to a theatre near you I would highly recommend it.