Vampires Rock Ghost Train review: Pavilion Theatre packed for crazy night

Vampires are very much in, if the packed audience at the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing last night was anything to go by.
Steve Steinman as Baron Von Rockula and X Factor winner Sam Bailey as the Vampire Queen in Vampires Rock Ghost TrainSteve Steinman as Baron Von Rockula and X Factor winner Sam Bailey as the Vampire Queen in Vampires Rock Ghost Train
Steve Steinman as Baron Von Rockula and X Factor winner Sam Bailey as the Vampire Queen in Vampires Rock Ghost Train

The crowd was not so much baying for blood as bouncing for banging rock hits.

Steve Steinman's Vampires Rock Ghost Train rolled into town with powerful vocals, great dancing and a lot of fun besides.

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His guest star this time was X Factor winner Sam Bailey, taking the part created especially for 80s punk singer Toyah Willcox and played by her for two years.

I saw Toyah in Vampires Rock when the original show came to Worthing back in 2008, so I was interested to see if Sam would fill her shoes as the Vampire Queen.

I was not disappointed - Sam is an absolutely fabulous singer and to have come so far, pretty much on her own, is testament to the hard work she has put in.

Hayley Russell, as the Queen's rival in love, Roxy Honeybox, also powered out the vocals.

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Having a live band on stage added to the drama but it took most of the night to get the sound levels right, at least from where I was sitting in the side stalls.

It was clear there were a lot of big fans in the audience who knew how it was going to go, with plenty of audience participation.

Steve Steinman as Baron Von Rockula was interactive right from the start, pointing out 'this is not panto but it's close'.

There was fire, there was blood spurting and there was poor old Pandora the skeleton stuck up in the ghost train car - I was desperate for it to move but of course knew it couldn't!

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It didn't take much for John Evans, playing Bosley, to get everyone on their feet towards the end and for the last four or five big numbers, everyone was jumping and waving their arms in the air.

Ending the show with Crazy Nights just about sums it up.

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