Third time lucky
Picture by Alan MacInnes
The crowd at Jason Donovan’s Amazing Midlife Crisis show at the Albert Halls last week took an emotional trip down Memory Lane.
For the Australian superstar it was third time lucky, having had to cancel two previous shows due to heavy snow and problems with his voice.
He actually crawled on to the stage to show his determination to get to Stirling at all costs.
Having turned 50 in June, Jason indulged the audience in two hours of nostalgia as he shared stories, images and film clips of his life and career as an actor, singer and radio DJ.
He was very candid about his drug addiction, single parent upbringing and career-threatening issues with his voice. He has to have botox injected into his larynx to be able to talk but still managed to sing acoustic versions of ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’ and ‘Any Dream Will Do.’
Jason even brought costumes, awards and props from his appearances in ‘Neighbours’, ‘Strictly’, ‘I’m a Celebrity’, ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’, ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ ‘The Sound of Music’ and of course his famous coat of many colours from ‘Joseph’.
Part interview, part midlife reflection, the show was intimate, honest and hugely entertaining.
The tour continues until March next year but Jason is also reviving his role as Parson Nathaniel in ‘Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds’ in November and making his debut as a producer for ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’ in 2019.
Julia Lawrence and her friends Claire Meikle, Fiona Saunders and Julie Gallagher, all from Stirling, attended the show.
Julia said: “We loved every minute of the nostalgic and candid journey through the highs and lows of Jason Donovan’s life and on turning 50.
“Hopefully he’ll return to Stirling for his 60th birthday.”
Ali MacAlpine of Stirling said: “I went along with a friend as we grew up in that era. It was a superb night.
“For the first half he was sitting being interviewed and he spoke about his highs and lows.
“He was very honest about his career and fame.
“In the second half he sang. It was a very relaxed and good-humoured evening. It’s great to have a big name like that in Stirling.”