Double Bill

Tim Benton + Gary Bland Show

Songs of 1965-75 + Matt Monro Swings

Event Has Passed

Last Show: Tuesday 8 th August 2017

The Pheasantry (Chelsea)

Relative latecomers to London cabaret, Tim and Gary are making up for lost time with well-received solo shows. Tonight they join forces with a set each plus surprise duets. Tim offers ‘Songs from 1965-75: Scenes from a Well-spent Youth’, re-imaginings of songs made famous by Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Gene Pitney Neil Sedaka and more. Gary presents songs from his upcoming show ‘From Shoreditch with Love: Swinging Matt Monro’, including Portrait of My Love, From Russia With Love and Born Free. They’re accompanied by Simon Wallace, collaborator with top UK jazz and cabaret performers including Sarah Moule, Clare Teal, Ian Shaw, Gill Manly and Barb Jungr.

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Tim Benton

Reaching his 50’s and seeking new challenges, Tim re-located from New Zealand to London in 2007. He brought with him extensive experience singing and acting in theatres, clubs, concert halls and cabarets around his home country and in Sydney, Melbourne and Hawaii.

In London, he quickly won the lead role of Sydney Carton in the new musical A Tale of Two Cities, dir. Paul Nicholas. The UK’s Stage newspaper rated him “spot on” as the world-weary, alcoholic lawyer.

He has sung the songs of Bing Crosby in theatres across the UK and Ireland, and performed at the Union theatre (Jekyll & Hyde), the Landor (Fred & Gladys) and Waterloo East (Ballroom, UK premiere). Cabaret work includes Cheek to Cheek (a Great American Songbook tribute), Marry Me a Little (Sondheim) and ‘Tony Bennett Swings, Tim Benton Sings’.

His latest project, showcased tonight (Scenes from a Well-Spent Youth), marks a return to his musical roots.

“…a truly lovely interpretation of Simon & Garfunkel’s America …pairing Hair’s opening number Aquarius with San Francisco, a huge hit during the Summer of Love… acquires real poignancy sung by a performer remembering his youth. Another highlight is the stripped-back version of The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset, which is stunning in its simplicity. Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are a Changin’.. is a genuinely rousing, powerful interpretation.”
Views from the Gods. 

 

Gary Bland

Touched by a famously moving song, Gary took up singing training In 2012 at the tender age of 51. Twelve lessons later, he performed that song (Bring Him Home) in public - the first time his wife of 26 years had heard him sing. He brought the house down.

This life-changing experience led to appearances in the Old Vic's award-winning Epidemic, and in the Les Misérables movie. A major Theatre Royal role earned standing ovations and his first lead - Aimable in The Baker's Wife, which won 4 and 5 star reviews.

In 2016, Gary’s Tribute to Johnny Mathis enjoyed critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe. Another successful solo show Love & Hindsight played Zedel (Le Crazy Coqs).

In 2017 Gary appeared at The Pheasantry in Neverland to Tobago: Songs of Gavin Brock, and The Magic of Lena Horne. His new Anthony Newley tribute is booking now at The Other Palace on 7 October.

“It’s worth wondering why Bland came into the business so late… His voice, rich in texture, croons all the way from sweet and mellow to grand and striking …his stage presence falls between cute boy-man and the guy next door, appealing to a wide variety of audiences. Not only can he sing, but he can tell a story and instinctively connect with his audience.”
Cabaret Scenes