BBC Proms 2011
Prom 40: Comedy Prom, Royal Albert Hall
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"Is nothing sacred anymore?" posed master Minchin, masked by a grey wig and beard, leaping out from the stalls that he had lain in wait pre-show in abject anonymity before launching into a fully orchestrated musical number about the plight of the quality of the Proms. This was no ordinary night, and if you took the slightest bit of offense at the idea of there being a 'Comedy Prom', especially one "hosted by an immigrant", then the opening number would probably make you hit the admittedly high roof of the Albert Hall.
But this wasn't just a stand up comedy show, this was a night that proved the Proms had a sense of humour, and didn't have to sacrifice quality to get a cheap laugh. With Jules Buckley waving the baton for the Heritage Orchestra (the very same that successfully performed with Jamie Cullum a year previously), and stars such as Danny Driver and Susan Bullock proving you could have prodigal music talent AND be funny, the night was one of the more technically demanding of the season for Sound By Design. A DiGiCo D5 admirably handled the eight ways of stereo in-ear monitoring (Shure PSM900s) and sixteen ways of conventional monitoring (EM Acoustics M12s). Tim's own repetroire proved a high point, proving the man is no slouch when it comes to playing the piano himself, proven in his performance of songs such as 'Lullaby' ("One thing they don't mention in the parenting book/ Your love for them grows, the closer to death they look"). Happily, with Phil Wright at the helm FOH and Stephen Hughes handling monitors, it was predicted to be the kind of show that the team have pulled off many times before i.e. a completely unpredictable one. A break from the norm of what has passed before in the Proms, but not without being one of the finer nights of the season, in laughs and in music. Images © BBC/ Chris Christodoulou |
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