Roy Orbison tribute 'has got it' at Theatre Severn

Barry Steele, RoyOrbison Tribute

Theatre Severn

review by Owen Lewis

When it comes to tribute nights, especially when they are as brilliant as the one performed by Barry Steele as Roy Orbison, at Theatre Severn, there's elephant in the room.

It gets ignored and people have fun. But the moralistic question it raises is this; is it a parasitic art form?

Admittedly the man was brilliant, as were his band, The Complete Beatles, likewise Mike King's Billy Fury. But would they be on that stage had not their real alter ego's been successful. No of course not.

There are a million great singers an musicians, it has to be argued they were there on the back of someone's else's skill. However the audience went wild. No one minded it wasn't the Big O, what did bother them was the show had to come to an end.

There wasn't a disappointed face in the house. They sang, they clapped along and gave the ballads the emotional respond they needed. With one's eyes closed Orbison was indeed in the room, only he wasn't. Instead there was the commercial face of the music business.

They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery but when it comes to doing the man's whole act the question arises, is this flattery or robbery?

So much for the psychology of the phenomenon: Steele provided a superbly entertaining evening. From the ovation it was clear to see that even if "He drove all night," to be there; it was worth it.