A special musical tribute is to be delivered on Westside to the man who created many of the iconic children’s TV shows from the last six decades.
Stand By For Action! Gerry Anderson in Concert will feature the theme tunes plus other music from memorable puppet shows such as Thunderbirds, Space:1999, Captain Scarlet and UFO.
The timeless soundtracks will be brought to life by a full symphony orchestra and guest singers during the world premiere concert at Symphony Hall on Saturday 16 April.
The show, which is the first time Gerry Anderson’s entire collection of film and music has been performed live in concert, will be hosted by TV impressionist Jon Culshaw.
Stand By For Action! is presented by Anderson Entertainment, whose director is Jamie Anderson, the son of Gerry.
He said: “I cannot wait for fans to enjoy this exciting, nostalgia-packed and varied evening of iconic tunes with a full video backdrop.
“The city of Birmingham has played such an important part in the creation of my father’s work, which many people maybe aren’t even aware of, so I can’t think of a better venue than Birmingham’s incredible Symphony Hall to host this special evening.”
One of Birmingham’s connections to Gerry Anderson’s work is that many of the puppets were created in the city.
Birmingham-born John Blundall, who was one of Britain’s foremost puppet masters, designed the character of Parker from Thunderbirds, and also worked with Gerry Anderson to create characters for Supercar, Stingray and Fireball XL5.
In addition, the original sound effects for many of Anderson’s TV productions, including Thunderbirds, Stingray, and Fireball XL5, were created in Birmingham’s Grosvenor Road Studios, where one of the studios is called the Thunderbird Suite.
As well as music from Gerry Anderson’s classic shows, the concert will also take the audience back to his earliest work including Torchy the Battery Boy and Four Feather Falls, as well as creations such as Terrahawks.
The music will be accompanied by stunning visuals from the TV series and films, including specially restored and previously unseen footage.
Jon Culshaw, who provides voices for characters in Anderson Entertainment’s Thunderbirds audio stories, said, “I’m thrilled and very honoured to be hosting this fantastic occasion; an occasion which will fill the Symphony Hall auditorium with the magic of the great Gerry Anderson.
“I grew up with Gerry Anderson’s shows, so having the opportunity to present his work to a live audience is a real delight.”
Stand By For Action! Gerry Anderson in Concert will take place at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue, on 16 April at 7.30pm. Tickets from £38 are available from https://bmusic.co.uk/events/stand-by-for-action-gerry-anderson-in-concert
Captions:
- Above: Jamie Anderson with Thunderbird 1 and Scott Tracy
- Main image: Jamie Anderson with Thunderbird 2
- Both photos are © Johnathan Williams.
