Dale Pengelly – Friday May 5 2018
This was a challenging gig for singing dance man, Dale Pengelly and his two sidekicks, Maureen Bowra and Jenny Usher; a brightly lit hall, a cavernous, all but empty stage, and sound desk settings that had the vocals overwhelming the backing music; ear-piercingly so, towards the end.
The trio rose to the challenges, and with a combination of personality, talent and charm, took us on a bright and lively tour of Dale’s sparkling career, through favourite songs, visual memories and entertaining anecdotes.
We sang along with Sinatra, Dino, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, Tony Bennett and other classics from the Crooner’s Songbook. We tapped our feet to songs from Dale’s illustrious stage career; from shows such as Hello Dolly, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Singing In The Rain and The Boy From Oz.
We ooh-ed and aah-ed at his stories of meeting the Queen, and of backstage catch-ups with celebrity audience members. A highlight was his telling of a performance of Hot Shoe Shuffle in London’s West End, when they were joined on stage by Harry Nicholas, of the fabulous 1930’s tap-dancing duo, The Nicholas Brothers.
Yes, we sang, tapped and smiled our way through a very entertaining evening of all-time favourite tunes, as we got to know more about this talented, charming Aussie song and dance man, from Gladstone in Queensland.
Oh, and we got to sing a cheery and grateful Happy Birthday to him at the end of the night. Thank you Dale, for a great night out.
Alan Smith
Brisbane Jazz Club