Andre Rieu, Genting Arena, Birmingham - review
There was dancing in aisles, tap dancing on a piano and partying with balloons when Waltz King Andre Rieu bought his energetic and charming Johann Strauss Orchestra to the Birmingham Genting Arena.
The Dutch violinist, along with his full orchestra, put on an irresistible evening of entertainment that was a fest of fun.
The show, which was rescheduled from December after one orchestra member became ill during the tour, was a full cinematic experience full of colour and noise.
As the first note was stuck, the crowd rose to their feet as the men in the Johann Strauss Orchestra, sporting dickie bows, and the women, in lavish ball gowns, paraded through the arena and entered the stage.
If you had any concerns that this was going to be a stuffy classical music performance, this was laid to rest within seconds of the enthusiastic Rieu bursting onto the stage.
I wasn't really sure if this was going to be my thing, but before I knew it I was clapping and singing along, having a thoroughly great time - I loved every second.
Musically Rieu and the orchestra were superb, and the choreography added a brilliant element to the show which I was not expecting.
Some of the renditions, such as crowd favourite 'I Love Him' from the musical Les Miserables, were moving; while the introduction of tenors and sopranos for a special cover of 'Hallelujah' left a lump in the throat.
Some of the classical pieces such as the 'Blue Danube' and 'Bolero' were a joy to watch and listen to.
But what really makes the show, aside from the music, is the humour, the stories and the charisma of not just Rieu himself, but of all the members of the orchestra who you can tell thoroughly enjoy what they do.
At the end of the night the crowd were left shouting for more as the musical meister from Maastricht struggled to get off stage under the demand for "one more song".
