Kid Creole and a Night to remember

Jun 24 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

EVER-popular 70s show Oh! What a Night makes Liverpool its port of call once again this week. Rolling into the Empire on Thursday for a quick three night run, it’s marking its 11th year.

At the helm, as he has been for all but one season of the sing-a-long romp, is Kid Creole, aka August Darnell, abandoning his Coconuts for one last stint.

Darnell has been associated with the show since the very beginning, as he continued to record and tour with his own material.

His initial casting and his subsequent commitment to Oh! What a Night have been as much a matter of divinity (“I was blessed”) as inherent practicality (“I’ve got a lotta bills to pay!”).

But this year, he says, is his last.

“Ten years is enough.”

“I want to devote my time to the Coconuts, I’d like to write my autobiography and do stories and novels.

“The reason I keep coming back is when I’m not doing this, and I’m in the studio or on the road with the band, I like to break it up.

“This opportunity came and I was blessed. At the time, everything was getting a bit tiresome and it was a chance to go back to my theatre roots as I majored in drama (at university).

“Liverpool is a very, very important stop for us. Next to Manchester, it’s the city that really embraced Oh! What a Night so we’re looking forward to it.”

Not to mention that Darnell’s two sons both live in Liverpool and study at LIPA.

The show, one of the first of its kind, has lived way beyond its original shelf life and successfully toured Europe and Australia.

Not bad for what was supposed to be an exclusive six-month run in Blackpool in 1997.

The lead role had been written with Gloria Gaynor in mind, with Kid Creole keen to get involved after getting wind of the show from the manager they shared.

Kid Creole and the Coconuts will be playing a number of summer festivals and a few nights on the latest Here and Now tour.

vickyanderson@dailypost.co.uk