Bobby Crush The Official Website Of The UK's Favourite Piano Entertainer

Bobby also had a major success portraying the legendary entertainer Liberace in a new play entitled "Liberace's Suit" at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London's West End. Here's what the press had to say...

"I cannot claim to have seen all 200 or so of the productions currently on offer in fringe theatres across London right now but it would have to be a mighty fine offering to beat "Liberace's Suit". Bobby Crush is wonderfully schmaltzy as Liberace. This is one of the funniest, most enjoyable and thought-provoking shows in town".
Sheridan Morley, DAILY EXPRESS

"Bobby Crush, an 'Opportunity Knocks' winner who apparently modelled his act on Liberace, is horribly good as the showman who treats the witness box as his personal stage with the jury as an adoring audience".
Lyn Gardner, THE GUARDIAN

"Immensely entertaining. Bobby Crush catches Liberace's grinning narcissism as well as his quick-wittedness in the witness box". 4-star review
Benedict Nightingale, THE TIMES

"The play is primarily designed to entertain and it succeeds handsomely. Bobby Crush makes an irresistible Liberace, at once shrewd and infantile, eyes crinkling and teeth flashing as he cranks out another grin."
John Gross, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"Bobby Crush neatly captures Liberace's crinkle-nosed, umpteen-carat diamante smile, gurning to the gallery."
Fiona Mountford, LONDON EVENING STANDARD

"In choosing Bobby Crush to portray the entertainer, the choice proved inspirational. Far from being merely a concert pianist and variety performer of some note, he now proves himself to be a supreme actor - capturing the body language, the facial and the vocal expressions of the American in such fine detail, one begins to believe he is the character he depicts. He draws on the full gamut of emotions as the case continues from the light hearted frivolity in the early moments, to a more serious nature later in the trial, finally reducing to bursts of hurtful anger before - and making a supreme effort to control his rage - he pauses in mid flow, allows his face to soften into the beaming smile and directs it, as before, to his fanatical followers, mostly middle-aged women, who crowd the public gallery. An unexpected acting triumph for the genial but ultimate professional musician/entertainer."
Jim Kennedy, ENCORE MAGAZINE

"As the ever-grinning one, Bobby Crush - who also bewitched audiences with his dazzling grin in his "Opportunity Knocks" days some 30 years ago - gives us a decent imitation, exuding cheesey bonhomie with that phoney, scrunching of the face. What everyone eagerly awaits is some piano action from Mr. C which he finally provides at the end of the show".
Mark Cook, TIME OUT LONDON

"Bobby Crush is a revelation in the role of Liberace".
Kevin Catchpole, THE BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE

"Bobby Crush is wonderfully convincing as Liberace. Crush captures Liberace's anger and professional pride, as well as his bizarre facial mannerisms - all screwed-up eyes and toothpaste-ad smile. Well worth a visit!"
Paul Webb, www.lastminute.com

"Bobby Crush is superb as the adorable entertainer. He captures the essence of all that Liberace was - glamorous, gorgeous, fun loving and, most of all, harmless. He plays the part so convincingly that one could quite easily mistake him for the great Liberace himself. Crush truly is magnificent, he has an amazing stage presence and while it would be impossible to go over the top with a character as big as Liberace, he is able to convey with precision, the larger-than-life dazzling world of colour and glittering razzamatazz that Liberace introduced his own audiences to so many years ago".
Emma Whitelaw, www.indielondon.co.uk


Here are some reviews from Bobby's recent week in cabaret at London's "Pizza on the Park" ... "Meanwhile, back at "Pizza on the Park" Bobby Crush delighted everybody in his recent week at the Knightsbridge cabaret room. Not afraid of sending himself up, Bobby reckons he was "the Jamie Cullum of 1972". He's the kind of artist who puts his whole being into his playing, as he demonstrated in his "Sunset Boulevard" selection. His repertoire encompasses a wide range of material from a Dusty Springfield medley through to Henry Mancini and Carole King and he ended his first set with a 12 minute medley of Burt Bacharach hits, in which he demonstrated that he has immense rapport with his audience and is a very good-natured performer. His second set included a James Bond medley, some superb Sondheim and Rodgers & Hammerstein. His last medley was a selection of audience requests - "You made me love you", "The lady is a tramp", "Smoke gets in your eyes", "Lady in Red" etc. and, in a rousing finale, "Anything Goes". Overall, this was an enjoyable evening from an artist with a warm personality, which obviously appeals to his audience no end". Michael Darvell, WHAT'S ON IN LONDON, May 11th 2005 "Although he admits to turning 50 last year, the teenager that he was when he won "Opportunity Knocks!" back in 1972 is still very much in evidence. He's such an infectiously ebullient and palpably sincere performer that you can't help but warm to him. Crush brings his own personality to bear on it all with such enthusiasm that I was totally won over" Mark Shenton, THE STAGE, May 12th 2005 "At one point in his show, Bobby holds up the cover of his first-ever album, issued not long after his long-running winning stint on "Opportunity Knocks!". He - and we - go "Aaaaaaaaahhhh" for the skinny, pretty youngster. But the up-to-date and more solidly-built Bobby is equally appealing. He twinkles and sparkles and boy, can he play! The small stage of "Pizza on the Park" was transformed with a four-piece backing ensemble (including extra keyboards) and a massive flower arrangement. The restaurant was packed out with friends, fans and punters including the esteemed agent Barry Burnett, actors Su Pollard and Anita Harris and legends Danny La Rue, Teddy Johnson and Pearl Carr. Bobby's style is full out, up front and to the brim with love of popular songs and show tunes. He is a superb, colourful pianist with a memory which is amazing. His programme opened with "Sway", then "As If We Never Said Goodbye" which was followed by three medleys - Dusty Springfield songs, Henry Mancini numbers and a Jukebox Medley which finished with "Long Ago And Far Away". He finished the first set with a terrific Burt Bacharach medley of twelve songs including all the favourites. He is charmingly self-deprecating, relating how, after it had been on his wall for years, he tried to play one of the gold discs he had been given only to discover it was actually Gladys Knight and the Pips - not his disc at all despite its label! The second set was equally varied with a James Bond medley and a Sondheim medley, then his finale is to ask for requests. Having collected about eight of them, he returns back to the piano and gives them his personal interpretation without missing a single one. I asked him for a long-remembered and now, to me, extremely pertinent "If I Only Had Time". "John Rowles!", beamed Bobby, and it was duly included. That's entertainment!" Lynda Trapnell, MUSICAL STAGES, Summer Edition 2005 www.musicalstages.co.uk
Bobby also had a major success portraying the legendary entertainer Liberace in a new play entitled "Liberace's Suit" at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London's West End. Here's what the press had to say... "I cannot claim to have seen all 200 or so of the productions currently on offer in fringe theatres across London right now but it would have to be a mighty fine offering to beat "Liberace's Suit". Bobby Crush is wonderfully schmaltzy as Liberace. This is one of the funniest, most enjoyable and thought-provoking shows in town". Sheridan Morley, DAILY EXPRESS "Bobby Crush, an 'Opportunity Knocks' winner who apparently modelled his act on Liberace, is horribly good as the showman who treats the witness box as his personal stage with the jury as an adoring audience". Lyn Gardner, THE GUARDIAN "Immensely entertaining. Bobby Crush catches Liberace's grinning narcissism as well as his quick-wittedness in the witness box". 4-star review Benedict Nightingale, THE TIMES "The play is primarily designed to entertain and it succeeds handsomely. Bobby Crush makes an irresistible Liberace, at once shrewd and infantile, eyes crinkling and teeth flashing as he cranks out another grin." John Gross, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "Bobby Crush neatly captures Liberace's crinkle-nosed, umpteen-carat diamante smile, gurning to the gallery." Fiona Mountford, LONDON EVENING STANDARD "In choosing Bobby Crush to portray the entertainer, the choice proved inspirational. Far from being merely a concert pianist and variety performer of some note, he now proves himself to be a supreme actor - capturing the body language, the facial and the vocal expressions of the American in such fine detail, one begins to believe he is the character he depicts. He draws on the full gamut of emotions as the case continues from the light hearted frivolity in the early moments, to a more serious nature later in the trial, finally reducing to bursts of hurtful anger before - and making a supreme effort to control his rage - he pauses in mid flow, allows his face to soften into the beaming smile and directs it, as before, to his fanatical followers, mostly middle-aged women, who crowd the public gallery. An unexpected acting triumph for the genial but ultimate professional musician/entertainer." Jim Kennedy, ENCORE MAGAZINE "As the ever-grinning one, Bobby Crush - who also bewitched audiences with his dazzling grin in his "Opportunity Knocks" days some 30 years ago - gives us a decent imitation, exuding cheesey bonhomie with that phoney, scrunching of the face. What everyone eagerly awaits is some piano action from Mr. C which he finally provides at the end of the show". Mark Cook, TIME OUT LONDON "Bobby Crush is a revelation in the role of Liberace". Kevin Catchpole, THE BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE "Bobby Crush is wonderfully convincing as Liberace. Crush captures Liberace's anger and professional pride, as well as his bizarre facial mannerisms - all screwed-up eyes and toothpaste-ad smile. Well worth a visit!" Paul Webb, www.lastminute.com "Bobby Crush is superb as the adorable entertainer. He captures the essence of all that Liberace was - glamorous, gorgeous, fun loving and, most of all, harmless. He plays the part so convincingly that one could quite easily mistake him for the great Liberace himself. Crush truly is magnificent, he has an amazing stage presence and while it would be impossible to go over the top with a character as big as Liberace, he is able to convey with precision, the larger-than-life dazzling world of colour and glittering razzamatazz that Liberace introduced his own audiences to so many years ago". Emma Whitelaw, www.indielondon.co.uk