Shirley Bassey THE BEST OF THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCES

Video Title :	Shirley Bassey THE BEST OF THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCES
Description :	The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, normally the reigning monarch. The performance showcases a variety of family entertainment, including comedy, singing, dance, circus and other speciality acts, with many of the performers being popular celebrities. The event is organised on behalf of, and all proceeds are donated to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund. The performance is televised to the public and is considered by many to be a tradition of the Christmas season, being held late in November, or early in December. The responsibility of producing and broadcasting the performance is shared alternately between the BBC and ITV and it is becoming a tradition for the BBC to stage the performance in London's West End and for ITV to stage it in regional theatres outside of London. The performance is a New Year's tradition in Norway, where it is broadcast at 00:00 on January 1. The first performance, on July 1, 1912, was called the Royal Command Performance, and this name has persisted informally for the event. This was held in the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, in the presence of King George V and Queen Mary. The king said he would attend a once-yearly variety show, provided the profits went to the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, as the EABF was then known. This first staging was a lavish occasion, and the theatre was decorated with 3 million roses draped around the auditorium and over the boxes. The organisers did not invite Marie Lloyd, one of the most famous music hall artists of the time, because of a professional dispute. She held a rival performance in a nearby theatre, which she advertised was "by command of the British public". The name of the event was changed to prevent possible royal embarrassment. It became an annual event at the suggestion of King George V from 1921. The show was frequently staged in the London Palladium theatre, and in the 1950s and 1960s a television show based on the same idea, called Sunday Night at the London Palladium and hosted by many entertainers including Bruce Forsyth, ran for over 20 years. Television coverage of the royal show itself traditionally alternates each year between the BBC and ITV. Almost every conceivable sort of act has at one time or another been presented to the monarch at the Royal Command Performance, including The Beatles in 1963, The Supremes in 1968 and The Blue Man Group in 2005. At the Beatles' show on November 4, 1963, John Lennon delivered a line to the well-heeled audience which has passed into legend: "For our last number I'd like to ask your help: Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewellery ... " The money raised by the Royal Variety Performance provides most of the funding for Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund and its home, Brinsworth House, a home for retired members of the entertainment profession and their dependents.
Views :	9691
Rating :	5.00
Keywords, Tags :	shirley bassey mike dixon royal variety performance lock stock and barrel records decca
Video Length :	8 : 41

Comments :

To my friends across the pond in the UK: Truly, DSB is the Diva of Divas. Simply the best. I'm not British. I believe in giving credit when credit is due. DSB is so deserving.

Lyrics on a piece of paper are just words. But Shirley makes them come alive when she sings. WOW !!!

aw i love it and julie andrews was great too 33 xx

the supremes did it in 1968 so it wouldnt be that good as florence ballard had left.

We love you, Dame Shirley. Greetings from your friends in the United Arab Emirates.

MUSIC was a absolutly fantasic performance, one of the best EVER

"Champagne Shirley"

Our Shirley: A Woman. A Force of Nature. Happy Earth Day, my fellow YouTubers.

DSB didn't need a trapdoor to impress the Queen. Her stage presence is enough.

awesome!!!