Jason Donovan at the Parr Hall Warrington Review
Jason Donovan
Parr Hall, Warrington
21 December 2016
Reviewed by Rebecca Banasko
I was child of the 80’s, I grew up watching Neighbours every day after school, reading Jackie, recording top of the pops on my tape recorder and obsessing over my idols Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. I was far too young to see them live at the time, so now 30 years later to sit in a theatre just rows away from Jason made my inner 80’s child jump for joy.
I came to Warrington Parr Hall with my good friend (of the 80’s also). We reminisced beforehand about the hits we remembered and loved. But the show actually brought a few more favourites to light that had long since been filed away in the memory banks. Jason came onto stage much to the joy of the audience in a black sequin jacket looking, well pretty good (I’m pretty sure that this was the general consensus judging from the reaction of the audience). It was easy to forget that we were a part of a bigger audience as well. Jason had a way of connecting with everyone. Whether it was through his friendly banter, the eye contact he made with the audience or just through the fun way that he performed. We were treated to some festive songs, with it being the 21st December and all. But not one, but two renditions of ‘Too many broken hearts’.
The first half was quite a gentle introduction it seemed, with Jason being a quite chilled and relaxed, this was his final stop on the tour and he was looking forward to Christmas with his family. He treated us to a rather different Aussie version of ‘Jingle Bells’ and who could forget ‘Any Dream Will Do’ from Jason And His Technicolour Dreamcoat. After the interval though the energy levels definitely picked up and Jason seemed to be enjoying himself more than anyone, particularly the ‘Jason Donovan’ Christmas Jumpers which many fans were wearing.
The highlight for me was the performance of ‘Especially For You’ which, it sounded like to was Kylie’s voice mimed by a backing singer (*Editor’s note: we have been informed that this was sung live by Kristin Hosein), a lovely touch. It was so nice to hear both of their voices together live. Jason stopped many times to talk about his family and interact with the audience. It was definitely a very relaxed and intimate show. I would recommend this to anyone whether you are a hardcore Jason Donovan Christmas jumper wearing fan, or a child of the 80’s who enjoys a bit of trip down memory lane. The show was brilliantly put together combining many of Jason’s hits with a few well chosen Christmas songs that added to the festive mood. It’s a 5/5 from me for a fun and memorable night out with one of my poster pin ups. Thank Jason!
Rating: 5/5 
For other shows at the Parr Hall in Warrington visit www.pyramidparrhall.com.
Pyramid & Parr Hall, Cultural Quarter, Palmyra Square South, Warrington, WA1 1BL | 01925 442884
