Earl Okin – Musical Genius & Sex Symbol

Earl Okin is a true original.

 Earl Okin – Musical Genius & Sex Symbol June 12th, Banquet Room
Earl Okin is a true original. Once described as a cross between Harry Connick Jnr. and Victor Borge, Okin – a veteran of  500+ performances at the Edinburgh Fringe – is a wickedly droll comedian and master of his musical craft, and even though this reviewer is a true believer of the adage that “a short show is a good show”, one hour in Okin’s company left me – and the capacity audience – wanting more.  
This thinking woman’s heart-throb – and Bossa Nova King – is a softly spoken, velvet-voiced crooner, who embraces the audience and draws you in with his intimate and candid musings and music. Shifting between guitar and keyboard, and delivering repartee shot with subtle innuendo, Okin’s musical genius delivered many highlights; a bossa nova version of S’Wonderful; a heart-melting When I Fall in Love; and a truly divine take on Georgia, complete with his signature mouth-trumpet solo; and toe-tapping ragtime with Bessie, and I Got A Girl.
But the true highlight was his delightfully bitchy reworking of I Don’t Know How To Love Him – same melody, new lyrics – a three-minute musical trashing of Andrew Lloyd Webber (no, I’m NOT a fan), and an anthem to the potency of cheap and banal show-tunes.  
Come back soon, Earl. I’m missing you already!