ROY Orbison, in the guise of Barry Steele, and his talented troupe of friends, led a reminiscing crowd through a vocal montage of yesteryear last Saturday evening at the Grand Opera House.

Eerily coloured mist swirled fittingly on stage, wisping around often uncannily similar reincarnations like scenes from a ghost movie.

Steele’s brilliant vocals were accurate, and much like Orbison's, so effortless that you sometimes wondered whether he was lip-syncing (he wasn’t). Orbison’s subtle live idiosyncrasies were all on show; taut facial expressions, gentle knee swings and those unique, deep, purrs all executed consummately naturally.

The physical likeness too was startling, with several members of the crowd expressing their surprise at the almost waxwork-like extent of the similarity.

Notwithstanding cheerful hits like Pretty Woman and You Got It, Orbison’s demure choice of clothes (black up to his neck, and a somehow rather inhospitable pair of sunglasses) mirrored an often discernibly downbeat discography.

The regular interruption of several more animated acts made for a finer balance to the night: saucily clad Elvis Presley impersonator Paul Malloy, whose dry wit endeared himself to the crowd; Mark Robinson. who cheerfully portrayed the eternally youthful Buddy Holly with all the likeability and innocence that he was known for; and wildly captivating pianist ‘Boogie’ Williams as Jerry Lee Lewis.

However, despite jokey assertions to the contrary from Williams, Steele was evidently the main man, and the crowd’s enthusiasm for his first-rate interpretation was more than enough to make up for his in-character reservedness.

- Kevin Holmes-Attivor