impressionist Alistair McGowan is embarking on a brand new tour during Spring 2022 which combines his incredible comedy talents with his new-found passion for classical piano music.
Alistair McGowan – The Piano Show opens on Thursday 31 March 2022 in Hexham, before heading to Barnard Castle, Alnwick, Cheltenham, Ivybridge, Taunton, Cardiff, Blackburn, Selby, Liverpool, Poole, Shanklin, Radlett, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Scarborough, Canterbury, Tetbury, and London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall.
After 25 award-winning years in the world of comedy, Alistair McGowan began playing the piano in 2015. Within two years, he had released Alistair McGowan: The Piano Album through Sony Classical 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, Field, Grieg, Schuman, Liszt, and Glass.
Since 2018, Alistair has been playing the piano publicly to great acclaim (despite the odd mistake!), and his move from comedy at the highest level into the world of classical piano is unparalleled. He thinks he is the first person to mix stand-up comedy with straight classical music in a live setting.
Without training as a musician, his ability to perform in public under pressure and then to slickly mix the music with his stand-up routines and endlessly changing roster of impressions of zeitgeist celebrities is truly impressive, sets him apart – and makes for a very entertaining evening which Alistair describes: “Two shows in one. It shouldn’t really work but, I’m repeatedly told, it does – thankfully. Audiences even seem to enjoy my mistakes, I don’t!”
Alistair studied piano for two years as a boy but gave it up in favour of football and tennis.
ALISTAIR MCGOWAN – PIANO SHOW TOUR SPRING 2022
QUEEN’S HALL ARTS CENTRE, HEXHAM
Thursday 31 March 2022 at 7.30pm
1-2 Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3LZ
Website: https://www.queenshall.co.uk/content/queens-hall-arts-centre
Box Office: 01434 652477
THE WITHAM, BARNARD CASTLE
Friday 1 April 2022 at 7.30pm
3 Horse Market, Barnard Castle, DL12 8LY
Website: https://thewitham.org.uk/
Box Office: 01833 631107
ALNWICK PLAYHOUSE
Saturday 2 April 2022 at 7.30pm
Bondgate Without, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 1PQ
Website: https://www.alnwickplayhouse.co.uk/
Box Office: 01665 660550
PARABOLA ARTS CENTRE, CHELTENHAM (Part of Cheltenham Comedy Festival)
Wednesday 6 April 2022 at 8pm
Parabola Road, Cheltenham, GL50 3AA
Website: https://cheltenhamcomedy.com/line-up/2022/Alistair-McGowan
Box Office: 01242 572573
WATERMARK THEATRE, IVYBRIDGE
Friday 8 April 2022 at 7.30pm
Erme Court, Leonards Road, Ivybridge, Devon, PL21 0SZ
Website: https://www.ivybridgewatermark.co.uk/
Box Office: 01752 892220
THE BREWHOUSE THEATRE & ARTS CENTRE, TAUNTON
Saturday 9 April 2022 at 7.30pm
Coal Orchard, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1JL
Website: https://www.thebrewhouse.net/
Box Office: 01823 823244
ACAPELA STUDIO, CARDIFF
Wednesday 13 April 2022 at 8pm
Heol Y Pentre, Pentyrch, Cardiff, CF15 9QD
Website: https://www.acapela.co.uk/
Box Office: 029 2089 0862
DARWEN LIBRARY THEATRE, BLACKBURN
Thursday 21 April 2022 at 7.30pm
Knott Street, Darwen, BBC3 3BU
Website: https://bwdvenues.com/
Box Office: 01254 706006
TOWN HALL, SELBY
Friday 22 April 2022 at 8pm
Selby Town Hall, York Street, Selby YO8 4AJ
Website: https://www.selbytownhall.co.uk/
Box Office: 01757 708449
LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, MUSIC ROOM
Friday 29 April 2022 at 7.30pm
Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BP
Website: https://www.liverpoolphil.com/
Box Office: 0151 709 3789
LIGHTHOUSE, POOLE
Thursday 5 May 2022 at 7.30pm
21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG
Website: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/
Box Office: 01202 280000
SHANKLIN THEATRE, ISLE OF WIGHT
Saturday 7 May 2022 at 7.30pm
Prospect Road, Shanklin, Isle of Wight, PO37 6AJ
Website: https://www.shanklintheatre.com/
Box Office: 01983 868000
RADLETT CENTRE, RADLETT, HERTFORDSHIRE
Sunday 8 May 2022 at 7.30pm
1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, WD7 8HL
Website: https://www.radlettcentre.co.uk/
Box Office: 01923 859291
NEW VIC THEATRE, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME
Wednesday 11 May 2022 at 7.30pm
Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 0JG
Website: http://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/
Box Office: 01782 717962
STEPHEN JOSEPH THEATRE, SCARBOROUGH
Sunday 15 May 2022 at 7.30pm
Westborough, Scarborough, YO11 1JW
Website: https://www.sjt.uk.com/
Box Office: 01723 370541
CADOGAN HALL, LONDON
Tuesday 17 May 2022 at 7.30pm
5 Sloane Terrace, London, SW1X 9DQ
Website: https://cadoganhall.com/
Box Office: 020 7730 4500
THE GULBENKIAN, CANTERBURY
Wednesday 18 May 2022 at 8pm
University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NB
Website: https://thegulbenkian.co.uk/
Box Office: 01227 769075
TETBURY GOODS SHED ARTS CENTRE
Friday 10 June 2022 at 7.30pm
The Old Station Yard, Cirencester Road, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8EY
Website: https://shed-arts.co.uk/
Box Office: 01666 505496
He began working as a stand-up comedian in 1989 and soon found work on radio and television as well as taking shows to the Edinburgh Festival including When Harry Met Ally with Harry Hill in 1991. His own television series eventually followed in 1999 and, over four years, The Big Impression became one of BBC One’s most highly-rated comedy programmes, winning a BAFTA in 2002.
He has also worked on television as an actor in programmes such as Mayo and Bleak House and in the film Driving Aphrodite with Richard Dreyfuss. On stage, he has twice played Henry Higgins in Pygmalion, twice played The Mikado, and was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance as the Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors in the West End, alongside Sheridan Smith.He has also written three biographical plays for Radio 4 about George Bernard Shaw and the composers, Erik Satie and John Field.
Alistair McGowan – The Piano Show demonstrates and showcases his love of all the art forms that have gripped him during his rich and varied career. 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, and has surprised classical music lovers by delivering – between the pieces – his impressions of Harry Kane, Raymond Blanc, and Roger Federer.
The 57-year-old says: “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.”
“After having to reschedule the tour due to the pandemic, I'm very much looking forward to this new tour and if it encourages someone else to follow their own dream, whatever their age, then that's even better.”
Alistair has received plaudits from several classical musicians for the quality of his playing reminding us all that it is never too late to try to attempt what you love and what you and others may think is impossible.
