The Ukulele Man – The Story of George Formby by Marcel Cole

The true story of wartime entertainer and ukulele legend George Formby! From the battlefields of Europe to the distant corners of the British Empire, ‘The Ukulele Man’ is the untold story of Britain’s greatest wartime entertainer!

He was banned by the BBC, declared insane by his wife, and still became the UK’s highest paid entertainer! Join Marcel Cole and his real-life mother Katie as they take you back to an era when live entertainment was king, and pay homage to the greatest entertainer of them all.

Marcel Cole is perfectly cast as British entertainer George Formby. He has a close physical resemblance and is able to totally capture Formby’s cheerful “Turned out nice again” persona, Cole leads us through an entertaining story of the life and songs of Britain’s most successful entertainer of the 1930s and 1940s. He is joined onstage by his real-life mother Katie Cole, who plays not one, not two, but three different roles with great aplomb.

Formby was also a highly paid film star making a large number of successful films. But the emphasis of the show is on Formby the ukulele and banjo-uke/banjolele playing entertainer. Some of Formby’s best-known songs are lovingly performed by Cole – including ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows’ and ‘Leaning On A Lamppost’. At shows, many in the audience are singing along, replicating what must have happened with Formby’s own audiences.

Anyone with a love of nostalgia, an interest in history, or just a good singalong will find much to enjoy in this show.