Michelle McManus has become a household name around these parts, and what she delivers is neither groundbreaking nor surprising – but it is still an hour deserving high acclaim. As we wait for McManus to greet us with her trademark glamour, we are treated to an on screen viewing of the moment she won Pop Idol in 2003. As the crowds lavish appropriate applause, McManus appears on stage and opens up the show with a powerful rendition of Pink’s Get the Party Started.
A fast paced hour of pitch perfect vignettes
It’s undeniable that McManus is a spectacular powerhouse in the vocals department, and she sure knows how to work a room. The audience are eating out the palm of her hand from the second she appears on stage, til the moment she departs. McManus utilises the Pop Idol clip as a framework for the show, drawing on what she has been doing since 2003 and how that event shaped her life. Her prowess with audience interaction and anecdotal life observations enthral us, making for a fast paced hour of pitch perfect vignettes. We hear intimate and humorous stories of her rise to Pop Idol fame, and the story of the 'wee lycra skirt' was a particular highlight.
McManus’s broad Glaswegian is juxtaposed with the deepest, sultry purr as she regales us with a rendition of Abba's Lay All Your Love On Me, and her chart hit All This Time. And whilst the audience lap up her self deprecation regarding her weight, one gets the distinct impression that McManus is falling back on an easy target. She’s intelligent and talented enough to come up with a show themed on more than a moment of fame 15 years ago and her excess body fat. However this intimate hour of song and sincerity still leaves us feeling touched by this Scottish sensation.
