Movin’ Melvin Brown is on a mission. The consummate song-and-dance man has a tale to tell - of the history of soul music. He arrives on stage in dungarees, the time of slavery, spirituals, gospel and church and ends with Rosa Parks and the heyday of Motown.
In between times, using stories, costume changes, dance and the songs of some of the great stars such as Otis Redding and James Brown, he presents a musical journey through the backing track to a century or more of America’s history.
Brown has an infectious humour and takes joy in his work, and it wasn’t long before he and the band had the crowd on its feet – how can you keep still to Yes I Know, belted out like a southern Baptist preacher?
He’s a gifted impersonator and his rendition of classics such as Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay or Brown’s Sex Machine were top-notch. However, his Michael-Jackson-does-Riverdance routine, while amusing and showing off his moonwalking skills, seemed out of keeping with the rest of the show.
By the end, though, he had members of the audience on stage doing the Monkey, the Mashed Potato and the Twist. And the whole place was standing and singing as one for the encore Stand By Me.
Movin’ Melvin is well into his 60s and an entertainer from another era, but he’s still light on his feet, polished, professional and puts his heart, and definitely his soul, into this uplifting show.
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