Variety always adds spice to life
IT WAS a night to remember when the Beatles took to the stage for the Royal Variety Performance. Screaming fans descended on the Prince of Wales Theatre in London eager for a glimpse of the Fab Four as they rehearsed for the 1963 show.
The band were one of 19 acts on a bill that included Hollywood movie star Marlene Dietrich, comedy favourites Harry Secombe, Charlie Drake, Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques and Tommy Steele and the West End cast of the musical Half A Sixpence.
Queen Elizabeth was pregnant with Prince Edward at the time so the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret attended in her place.
The Beatles were the seventh act and performed From Me To You, She Loves You and Til There Was You before John Lennon famously stepped up to microphone and said to the audience “For our last number I’d like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewellery. We’d like to sing a song called Twist And Shout”.
The Royal Variety Performance has featured many landmark performances over the years. Laurel and Hardy appeared in 1947, American star Sammy Davis Jr flew over for the 1966 show and soul singer Aretha Franklin and Larry Hagman, best known as JR Ewing from TV series Dallas, were both part of the 1980 bill.
Larry Hagman forgot his lines during his live performance and his mother, Broadway star Mary Martin, who was watching in the wings, quickly rushed on stage to join him and save the day. He was later asked if he wanted his blunder cut from the television broadcast and he replied “No, you leave that in. The old girl got me out of trouble”.
The origins of the Royal Variety Performance itself date back to 1912 when King George V and Queen Mary agreed to attend a Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in London in aid of the Variety Artistes’ Benevolent Fund.
The stars deemed suitable for the royal family included male impersonator Vesta Tilley, who was famous for the song Burlington Bertie, and Scottish comic and singer Harry Lauder.
The second royal show was performed in July, 1919, and was the first to be billed a Royal Variety Performance. It was held at London’s
Coliseum and was staged as a “celebration of peace”. The official announcement said it “had been commanded by the king to show his appreciation of the generous manner in which artistes of the variety stage had helped the numerous funds connected with the war”.
The variety special became an annual event from 1921 and early shows were originally broadcast on radio with the first television broadcast in 1960 with flamboyant American pianist Liberace entertaining Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as well as Sammy Davis Jr, Nat King Cole, Cliff Richard and The Shadows and Adam Faith. The laughs were provided by the likes of Benny Hill, Bob Monkhouse, Frankie Howerd and Norman Widsom.
Comedy stars from Danny Kaye and Bob Hope to Morecambe and Wise and Ken Dodd are also among those who have tickled the royal funny bone.
Hidden talents have also been revealed. Birds Of A Feather’s Pauline Quirke put on a ballet tutu in 1992 for the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy while TV presenters Gloria Hunniford, Jan Leeming and Esther Rantzen also revealed hidden dancing skills as they appeared in cowgirl outfits to perform Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better from the musical Annie Get Your Gun for the 1982 show. The same year saw newsreader Angela Rippon in high-kicking form following her dance appearance on the Morecambe And Wise Show.
Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, the Spice Girls and Kylie Minogue are among those who have serenaded the royals and Kojak TV star Telly Savalas was also asking “Who loves ya, Baby?” in 1975.
The variety show tradition still continues and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be entertained by Sir Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, the cast of Mary Poppins and singer Lewis Capaldi at this year’s Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium on November 18.
Aussie housewife and superstar Dame Edna Everage (aka Barry Humphries) has long been a royal favourite and appeared in the Jubilee Appeal show in 1977.
Dame Edna also gatecrashed the royal box in 2013 and surprised Prince Charles and Camilla as she announced to the audience “I’m so sorry. They found me a better seat”. Luckily the royal couple were amused by their surprise guest.
However, some acts have left the royals bemused. Prince Philip asked Tom Jones after the 1969 performance “What do you gargle with... pebbles?” While Elton John’s 2001 performance led to him announcing “I wish he’d turn the microphone off ”.