Daily Express
“There are moments when it becomes genuinely touching, and it is a pleasure to watch a West End production that puts faith in its performers rather than hi-tec special effects”
Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph
“Genuinely touching... All the Fun of the Fair is well worth a spin”
Daily Express
“David Essex rocks on in this pacy love story”
Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard
“[David] still has that roguish appeal and can belt out such memorable numbers as Hold Me Close and my old favourite Silver Dream Machine”
Paul Callan, Daily Express
“Its all good harmless fun.”
Patrick Marmion, Daily Mail
“In its own honest…way, the show has a beguiling melodramatic charm.”
Michael Coveney, Whatsonstage.com
“Essex’s gravelly voice…delights the fans, but there is more to this new musical than just his crowd-pleasing, hat-tipping, star turn.”
M.A., officiallondontheatre.co.uk
“‘Rock on, but strictly for fans.”
Michael Coveney, Whatsonstage.com
“Although Essex is undoubtedly the star of the show, it’s not at the expense of younger cast members – of [Michael] Pickering in particular, who is given ample opportunity to shine[s]. And shine he most certainly does. In fact, I’ll be surprised if we don’t see a great deal more of this young man in the future.”
Lizzie Guilfoyle, indieLONDON
“The carousel of the fair – coloured lights, prancing horses, dodgem cars, candy floss, cuddly toys – is tempered with a strain of melancholy first established in one of Essex's most downbeat hits, "A Winter's Tale," written by Tim Rice and Mike Batt, and reiterated in his own "You're in My Heart", a beautiful ballad done as a poignant quintet for the leading characters.”
Michael Coveney, The Independent
“...Fans won't be disappointed by the musical numbers on offer.
‘David Essex's voice still sounds pretty good and the unique quality it embodies is still strongly in evidence.”
Peter Brown, LondonTheatre.co.uk
“The fairground setting is very apt, working hand in hand with several of the lyrics, and it does lend a vibrancy to what could otherwise have been quite a turgid affair.”
Damian Sandys, Public Reviews
“Setting out its’ stall in London on the final stop of a successful national tour, All the Fun of the Fair is a David Essex back-catalogue musical inspired by the eponymous best-selling album.”
Clive Burton, Theatreworld Internet Magazine
“Finally, a West End already saturated with shows built around old pop songs now gets David Essex fronting All The Fun Of The Fair, named after Essex’s third best-selling album and featuring 20 songs drawn from that and other albums. Essex isn’t playing himself, though. Instead, he lends his grizzled warmth to the role of a widowed owner of a travelling fairground that is rapidly going bust. The show is, like the man, enjoyably scrappy, over-earnest and likeably sincere.”
Mark Shenton, Sunday Express
“...the cast do an admirable job of belting out the hits and, for his swooning fans, Essex hasn't lost his twinkle.”
Imogen Carter, The Observer,