The Monster Club has opened its doors to boys and girls of all ages with a show perfect for the family to enjoy safely this half term.
It’s been a long time since the majority of us have had the pleasure of going out and enjoying a live show – for many it may well be the first since lockdown began back in March this year. It was for this reason exactly that I jumped at the chance to head out to enjoy a COVID-secure night out with my family.
This show is the brainchild of local entertainer Joe Ringer, the frontman of Norwich’s The Joe Ringer Band, and circus performers Pip and Vikki Randelle. Combining their knowledge of music, circus, performance, pantomime and dance, they have created a fantastic socially-distanced Halloween show, perfect for ‘little monsters’ aged three and up.
The Monster Club show “is like fulfilling a childhood dream,” Joe Ringer explains.
“When I was young my mum brought me a Ladybird Book copy of Dracula. It was the beginning of a lifelong love for monsters and anything spooky and I can’t wait to share that passion with the boys and girls of Norwich.”
“Modern Halloween has become focused on the scare factor, but we want to pay homage to the wonderful characters and myths that we all love.”
And this is exactly what they have achieved with this fabulous family spectacular. The evening was a perfect blend of music, dance, circus performance and comedy which delighted both the youngsters and adults in the audience.
The Joe Ringer Band, named The Dead Ringers for the show, were on form as always with Joe delivering some divine vocals, both lead and backup, across a variety of classic hits. It was songs like Time Warp that really got everyone involved as we all dug deep and pulled out the moves that we usually only bring out at boozey parties – but who can resist getting involved at times like this!
The circus performers, dancers and singers were all equally as talented, each bringing their own element to The Monster Club. You could clearly see how much work has gone into this show and credit must be given where credit is due – they are all fantastic.
A shout out must also be given to Friedrich Fright, Pip Randelle, who filled the important role of hosting the evening and filling in the gaps between other acts and performers. He is without a doubt a comedy genius and a top class performer who had the audience in fits of giggles for the entire evening. An absolute highlight was a very simple but very clever sketch involving a broom – completely brilliant.
Despite the big top tent only being partially filled, this didn’t deter the spirits of the performers who delivered a show with admirable spirit and passion bringing a level of commitment that I have come to expect from anything that Joe Ringer is involved with – and clearly Pip and Vikki Randelle too!
The tent was perfectly laid out so that you could immerse yourself fully in the show without worrying about COVID – top marks for the thought that has clearly gone into making it safe for everyone.
I for one had a fantastic evening, but in case you need any more persuading to head down and see the show then you can take it from the littlest one in our family. When asked what he thought of the show, he rated it a solid 20 out of 10 and then didn’t stop talking about it the whole way home. We were then treated to him singing The Monster Club song over and over all evening as well. So there you have it, the kids approve!
- The Monster Club show runs at Wensum Valley Hotel and Country Club in Taverham until October 31
- Tickets are available for £6 - £10 from The Monster Club’s website
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