š The Overtones: Good Times Christmas Tour
š indigo at the O2, 205 Peninsula Square, London SE10 0ES
š Saturday 7th December 2024
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LACKING CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
The Overtones are currently entertaining audiences with their GOOD TIMES CHRISTMAS TOUR and I was invited along to watch and review at the indigo at the O2 over the weekend. As a long time fan of The Overtones I was really looking forward to the performance, unfortunately though I left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.
This has nothing really to do with the guys themselves but rather the production. Firstly for what is advertised as a Christrmas show, it was disappointingly unchristmassy. The stage featured a rather depressing Christmas trees at the on each side, and that was it! The set featured 3 Christmas songs in the first act and only one in the second - and that was during the encore! After being promised we'd be in the Christmas spirit by the end, this was a huge let down for me.
I was surprised that there was no live band. instead we had backing tracks which in all honestly were not fantastic quality. I felt this cheapened the entire production and was unfair to the performers, especially as the sound levels seemed to be all over the place, making for a less than pleseant experience.
These tracks obviously featured some backing vocals, which although I'm not adverse to the use of if they aid (especially with the constant dancing), but because of the sound issues I felt it made their use somehow more obvious and therefore once again cheapening the production.
Mix these issues with uninspired lighting, the production values here feel more like a cost-cutting exercise than anything else.
None of this however takes away from the talent of Mark, Darren, Jay and Mike. Their vocals and harmonies throughout were fantastic, with each having the chance to show off what they can do. Their song choices were upbeat and had the audience on their feet, dancing and singing along from start to finish.
They had great stamina, and their dance routines are reminiscent of The Drifters or The Four Seasons, which fits perfectly with their choice of songs. They also had great banter with the audience throughout and I enjoyed the personal touches of stories they shared.
Despite the negatives I would go and see The Overtones in concert again as they are good singers and I enjoyed the songs and the feel-good atmosphere they created. It would be nice to just build up the production values. If this were done and a live band was added I can easily see me giving 5 stars rather than the 3 I've awarded here.
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.
My ticket for this performance of The Overtones: Good Times Christmas Tour was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
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