Australian & American Bandstand

Australian & American Bandstand

Performed by The Williams Brothers

Reviewed at Glen St Theatre

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

Do you remember Warren Williams who was a regular on Australian Bandstand?

Well he has three sons, Warren Junior, Darren and Andy (yes, Andy Williams), who put together a show titled Australian & American Bandstand. It’s a full-on nostalgia trip. Some of the Australian artists who are celebrated are Col Joye (“Bye Bye Baby”), Johnny O’Keefe (“Shout”), AC/DC (It’s Long Way To The Top”), Billy Thorpe, The Bee Gees, (“New York Mining Disaster 1941”, “I Started A Joke”, “To Love Somebody”, “Massachusetts”), The Delltones, Little Pattie, Lucky Starr (“I’ve Been Everywhere”), Frank Ifield (“I Remember You”), Lonnie Lee (“Starlight Starbright”, “Yes Indeed I Do”) and The Easybeats (“Evie”). They even do “Sadie”.

Tributes to American performers include Ricky Nelson (“Travelin’ Man”, “Hello Mary Lou”), Del Shannon (“Runaway”), Neil Sedaka (“Oh! Carol”), Chubby Checker, Bobby Darren (“Dream Lover”) The Monkees (“I’m A Believer”), The Everly Brothers (“Bye Bye Love”, “Wake Up Little Susie”), The Righteous Brothers (“Unchained Melody”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”), Simon and Garfunkel (“Mrs Robinson”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”), Neil Diamond (“Sweet Caroline”), The Beach Boys (“Surfin’ USA”) and Roy Orbison (Oh, Pretty Woman”). They’ve also added some Beatles (“Nowhere Man”, “Twist and Shout”, “Hey Jude”).

It’s amazing that so many songs were fitted into two-hours. The boys throw themselves into it with great enthusiasm and I particularly enjoyed Andy’s guitar work.

It’s so pleasing to see shows coming back onto stages. This is only the boys’ second show in eight months. The difference between a club show and a theatrical production is often determined by budget and production values which should increase with more performances and the inclusion of a director.

If more than a few of those songs went through your head when you read the titles, you just might enjoy Australian & American Bandstand with The Williams Brothers. The music will bring back a lot of fond memories, especially if you were a fan of Bandstand.