HE came, he saw and he conquered - you can say he certainly made more than a good impression.
Alistair McGowan is on a brand new tour combining his outstanding comedy talents with his new-found passion for classical piano music.
Alistair McGowan – The Piano Show is an absolute joyous revelation.
He is best known for 25 award-winning years in the world of comedy, but has moved out of his creative comfort zone and now offers two shows in one.
There's his laugh-out-loud faultless impressions with witty scripts and now accompanied by sensitive, unforgettbale piano-playing of the classics.
Alistair McGowan
He walked on stage to a packed Merseyside audience saying: "Hello Liverpool . . . and then 'Hello Birkenhead'."
And there followed a few Liverpudilian take-offs in his impressions of Paul Hollywood, John Parrott and Steven Gerrard.
His two-hour showcase - including an interval - was slick and super entertaining.
He began playing the piano in 2015 and within two years, he had released Alistair McGowan: The Piano Album which topped the UK Classical album charts and reached No 2 in the Classic FM chart.
The album featured 17 short piano pieces by composers including Satie, Chopin, Grieg, Bac, Glass and Gershwin.
He must bethe first person to mix stand-up comedy with straight classical music in a live setting.
It works maqically - the balance may seem bizarre on paper but he hits all the right notes comedic and musically in the right order.
Without training as a musician, his ability to perform in public under pressure and then to slickly mix the music with his stand-up now sets him apart.
And, in its two previous incarnations, he has introduced a new audience to short, classical piano pieces from composers including Cyril Scott, Yann Tiersen and Madeleine Dring.
The 57-year-old said: "Rediscovering the piano as an adult has been a great joy to me, and being able to share that joy with others is both a privilege and a huge pleasure – although I continue to be in total awe of trained pianists who can play far more intricate pieces than I could ever attempt.
"If I can encourage someone else to follow their own dream, whatever their age, then that's even better."
Alistair is re-born. Catch his new show if you can - you will not regret it. He even finds time to chat with the audience after each performance.
"You've made me happy," he said at the end.
"I hope I made you happy," he added.
You did ... Alistair, you did.
Globe verdict: Classical act!
Five stars
See www.alistairmcgowan.co.uk for tour and album details
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