Thursford Christmas Spectacular

Bit of a strange thing to write about, as, if you don't have a ticket, you will not see it this year. Last Thursday evening went to this years Chris mas spectacular at the Thursford Steam museum. A Variety show in the true sense, lots of singing, a foundation of Religion with the Christmas Story, and a really good night.

The Thursford Steam Museum started life a place where old steam engines, mainly traction engines made in Norfolk, were restored and displayed. From it's start in 1977, the Christmas Show has grown to deserve the term Spectacular. Over 100 performers on the (huge ) stage, singing of the highest quality, dancing that is incredibly precise, a wonderfully happy atmosphere, all combine to create a superb nights entertainment.

Norfolk seems to be one of the last places in the UK where "Old Fashioned" Variety shows still has enough of a draw to pull people out of their homes. The "Seaside Special" and the "Christmas Special" in Cromer Pier Theatre along with the Thursford Show really do make Norfolk, and North Norfolk particularly is now the only part of the country if you are looking for good old fashioned Variety Shows.

So, what was the Thursford Show like? It's termed a "Spectacular" and that is almost an understatement, from the very start the pace of the show is managed with huge skill, some dance routines are close to frenetic, while the quality of the singing is of the highest order. An undercurrent of the Christmas story helps to hold the show together, without becoming overly pious and still allowing some wonderfully choreographed dance routines, especially one in the second half where the speed of movement was so quick as to almost be impossible to follow but no one made a mistake, I dread to think how long the rehearsals take. The other highlight is the music, not just an orchestra of the highest calibre, but an organ player who plays the Wurlitzer Organ with such Panache that he leaves you breathless. To have so much control over your body that each of your four limbs are acting in a co-ordinated but seperate way to produce a beautiful cacophony that can be viewed on big screens that are scrolled down so cameras can pick up what the maesto is doing. At one point he even shows the time on his watch so you can see that the projection is not a recording.

The final point is that the comedy that takes place is funny, but not offensive. So this is a real night for those from nine to ninety


Wonderful night, now I must book next years tickets