Eric Idle: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live! review – mock’n’roll star’s night of nostalgia

Playhouse, EdinburghThe Monty Python man revisits his remarkable career, with songs dedicated to George Harrison and Robin Williams – and some ribbing of John CleeseA career retrospective fondly remembering a previous career retrospective: who said pop will eat itself? I enjoyed Eric Idle’s touring “one-man musical” very much: he seems like a thoroughly good egg, he’s led a remarkable entertainment life, and who’d begrudge him, now 82, the chance to bask in it – and his audience’s palpable affection – at least one more time? But even I found it a bit much when, reaching the end of this greatest hits compendium, Idle includes Monty Python’s 2014 O2 gigs in his pantheon of past glories. A show for nostalgists warmly recalling an earlier show for nostalgists? Welcome to entertainment in the age of the never-ending showbiz afterlife.In fairness to Idle, this show (called – what else? – Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live!) is not about Python, it’s about him, from South Shields childhood via boarding school in the Midlands, all the way to the Hollywood Bowl. It follows the now familiar format, with our host narrating his life and works in story, lots of clips on an upstage screen – and in song. A certain self-centredness is unavoidable with such shows, but Idle offsets that better than most, dedicating a substantial slice of the evening – and two sentimental songs – to sorely missed friends George Harrison and Robin Williams.At Pavilion theatre, Bournemouth, on 24 September and Royal Albert Hall, London, on 27 September Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Mary Berry says moving to Channel 4 to judge Bake Off didn’t feel right ‘just for the money’

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Eric Dane breaks silence on missing Emmy Awards amid ALS diagnosis

Eric Idle at the Royal Albert Hall review: still finding life's bright side

Eric Dane calls for accelerated ALS research in poignant video after missing Emmys appearance

Eric Dane misses scheduled appearance at 2025 Emmys amid ALS diagnosis

Culture

Mary Berry says moving to Channel 4 to judge Bake Off didn’t feel right ‘just for the money’

ITV series that left viewers ‘questioning their sanity’ axed after one season

A Maine farm turns getting lost into a prize-winning tradition

Emma Corrin ‘incredibly excited’ to have Charli XCX in 100 Nights Of Hero

Sam Rivers, Bassist for Limp Bizkit, Dies at 48

Paul Mescal is better than ever in The History of Sound – but I wanted more

Brandy blames early Chicago exit on ‘dehydration’ after she left Monica to finish concert solo

Chris Robshaw becomes third contestant to be eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing

Vernon Kay, Ant and Dec and Stephen Fry win at Variety Club Showbusiness Awards

Sharon Osbourne shares heartbreaking loss weeks after husband Ozzy’s death

Strictly 2025 confirms third star eliminated after ‘emotional’ apology to partner

Britain’s Got Talent star, 17, arrested and fined £1,000 for busking

Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, dies aged 48

Iconic actress exposes Martin Scorsese’s ‘volcano-like’ anger during marriage

Hollywood shows out for ‘No Kings’ protests: Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Stiller among celebrities speaking out

‘Larsen C’ Review: Grand, Dark and Inhumanly Cold

Sabrina Carpenter fans react after singer ‘doubled down’ on dropping F-word during SNL performance

Harry Potter star turns down Celebrity Traitors after ‘never watching’ show

Loose Women star pulled from BBC radio show after ‘bullying claims’

Louvre Closed After Thieves Steal ‘Priceless’ Jewels in Brazen Daylight Robbery

Alexander Skarsgård hailed as ‘icon’ after sporting backless halterneck on red carpet

BBC airs ‘clanger’ of a mistake during reporting of Lady Annabel Goldsmith’s death

Sci-fi series with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score launches for free

Why the numbers 6-7 are driving math teachers up the wall

Once revoked for 'indecency,' the British Library reinstates Oscar Wilde's library card

Josh O’Connor: ‘Filming period romance with Paul Mescal deepened our relationship’

Strictly fans claim star was ‘undermarked’ despite slipping during performance

Sunday Puzzle: Anagrams from a hotel room

Book Review: ‘Every Day Is Sunday,’ by Ken Belson

Book Review: ‘Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope,’ by Brandon M. Terry

The Artist Fia Backström Explores Community, Without the People

Three Women in Alaska Collaborate on an Exhibit About Climate Change

The Real Housewives of Moscow

Restaurant Review: Johnny’s

Pink Floyd star David Gilmour says Roger Waters reunion is impossible

Sam Rivers death: Limp Bizkit bassist dies, aged 48

Strictly star hits back at claims he ‘shouldn’t be allowed’ to compete

Limp Bizkit bassist dies aged 48, band says

The Celebrity Traitors cast are closer to each other than you might think

Michael J Fox says co-star ‘created friction’ on set of Back to the Future

‘Netflix thriller fans are furious I haven’t won an award – but I’m relieved’

Limp Bizkit star Sam Rivers dies aged 48 as band pays tribute to ‘true legend’

I was a busker living in my van – now I’m selling out the Royal Albert Hall

‘People aren’t ready for it’: How Paddington the Musical took the world’s favourite bear and put him on stage

Cameron Crowe on music, movies and the tragedy that shaped him: ‘I thought writing about it would cause too much pain’

‘Am I going to heaven, chat?’: SNL’s Trump stops by teen podcast to ramble about No Kings, war and George Santos

The Traitors and Celebrity Traitors: a blagger's guide to the BBC TV show everyone's watching

A thrilling tale of skulduggery and spies

Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers dies aged 48

The 15 most terrifying horror films set at Halloween and where to watch them

'You can't fake being a rock star': Springsteen biopic explores his inner demons and childhood trauma

Why I fell in love with a book called I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki

Will giving up his titles really make much difference for Andrew?

Grand Theft Auto made him a legend. His latest game was a disaster

Mystery deepens after missing schoolgirl found dead in pop star D4vd's Tesla

Mick Jagger and Janet Jackson lead guests at London’s answer to the Met Gala

Strictly Come Dancing’s Ellie Goldstein is bringing the joy we all need right now

Actor Alexander Skarsgard says Pillion script ‘stood out’ among others

ITV star confirms exit after 36 years as part of huge daytime shake-up

You can now binge all 6 episodes of Dutch thriller that ‘keeps you guessing’ for free