The evening started off with the golden voice of showbiz, Clifford Richards singing, ‘Is this the way to Amarillo’. The El Latino dancers in their glam gold figure hugging outfits really brightened up the stage and gave that ‘Wow’ start off to the entertaining evening. The repertoire was of different genres. From one item to the next we did not know what to expect. 

Clifford, an amazing performer besides being a fabulous singer made sure that the audience was totally engaged in the performance throughout the night. His witty jokes and interaction with the audience made it very entertaining.  ‘Stand by me’, and ‘Bachelor boy’ was next with the audience joining in at his request. He then went on to welcome Hon Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Mrs Mela Karunanayake who were special invitees at the event. 

The highlight of the evening  was the touching moment when Jacintha and little Alvan, Clifford’s children took stage to sing ‘Heal the world make it a better place….’  Young Jacintha had a lot of power in her voice while little Alvan had a serious face when he sang, it was absolutely adorable. 

Backed by the band ‘Kings’, Clifford was joined by Chaturika Fernando for ‘When you are hurting…..’ Some of the other songs performed were ‘Speedy Gonzales’, ‘We should be together’ and ‘One day at a time’. His rendition of the King of Rock’n Roll Elvis Presley’s, ‘Good Luck Charm’ and ‘Judy’ was fabulous, but Gentleman Jim is what he did best. ‘My heart is in Rosa Rio’ was sung with such ease and flow. So natural. He also sang some Elton John numbers. My favourite was ‘Don’t let me cross over’, a duet performed by Clifford and the dynamic Stephanie, former Miss Sri Lanka. Together they made a fabulous duo with so much power, vigour and such a huge stage presence. 

The percussion item by the Beat Drummers was excellent. The dance troupe of Channa and Upuli brought colour and energy to the event with their various costumes to suit the popular bailas such as ‘Mage Nona’, ‘Seeya biwwa wine’, ‘Mage redda hatte’ and ‘Athamita kasi panam’. Mariazelle Gunathilleka who initially refused to get on stage but was eventually persuaded to do so by Clifford, sang her ever so popular ‘Kandy Lamissi’. Ronnie Leitch did his usual witty act for ‘Kolompure Sriya’ amidst loud applause. 

Amongst the invitees were well known faces of the music and film industry. Sunil Perera of the Gypsies, Ravindra Randeniya, Anoja Weerasinghe, Chandran Ratnam and Sangeetha Weeraratne were some of the people seen congratulating Clifford after the show. 

A diverse repertoire… the audience was very receptive and interacted well. No doubt it was a very entertaining evening! 

Here are some comments from the audience. 

Anoja Weerasinghe 

Unbelievable talent. The colours projected by his voice was beautiful. Great entertainer. Clifford is a multi-talented guy but I don’t have to say it. Everybody here witnessed it. But more than that he is a great human being. There is a side of Clifford that people don’t see. He has such a big heart and he is a nature lover. He even grows organic vegetables and fruits in his hometown Kandy. 

Ravindra Randeniya 

I was thoroughly entertained by this show. Clifford is a friend and I have seen him umpteen number of times presenting various shows but seeing him singing live on stage is just amazing. I’m really impressed by the energy he exuberates while performing and his rapport with the audience.  His singing is of very high caliber. I’m thankful to him for inviting me because this show is excellent. 

Mariazelle Gunathilleke 

Clifford’s shows are always good and well planned. The repertoire is excellent. Everyone can relate to his repertoire and join in. There’s a lot of colour with the dancers and drummers and all of that. I think the highlight of the show was having his daughter and son perform. It was a very emotional moment. 

Mela Karunanayake 

I have come for all his shows. It gets better and better each time. I like that his whole family is performing. They are all so talented. 

Asha Perera 

This was actually an amazing concert. I enjoyed it immensely. Clifford has a powerful deep voice. Jacintha and Alvan were also fabulous and so talented. It was lovely to see the children perform with their dad. 

Sandy Jayasuriya 

This is the first time I came for a show of Clifford’s. I had heard of him but never seen him perform. I’m really happy to be here today. Really enjoying the show. It’s a nice mix of songs. I can see the audience having a super time. 

Chandran Ratnam 

I had heard about him but this is the first time I’ve come for Clifford’s show.  I enjoyed it very much. This is the type of music I like. We don’t see too many of these type of concerts. It’s a good variety. I am enjoying the good old English songs that we like to sing along to, he had them all. It was super. 

Sangeetha Weeraratne 

My very first time at one of Clifford’s Shows. I am enjoying it thouroughly. It’s an awesome experience and I’m just loving it. Nice old songs and he puts a lot of rhythm into it. He adds a local flavour into the whole show as well. 

Ianthi Vidanagamage 

It was a truly amazing show. My favourite items were the two Elvis songs he performed Good Luck charm and Judy. All the dance acts were also beautiful and well choreographed. 

Roshan Wijeratne 

Fantastic show. Lot of effort has gone into producing this show.  Specially the entertainment acts, the lights, the costumes and everything. He’s done a lot by way of production.  He did a great mix to suit the mixed audience that was present tonight. I think they enjoyed it. 

Shewanthi Rajanathan 

Very entertaining. I think Clifford has done a great job.  This mixture of music seems to appeal to the audience. Having English and Sinhala together is a good thing. Gives a lot of variety. 

Alvan 

This is the third time I have performed on stage. I love performing on stage but I do feel shy at times. Someday I want to be a singer like my dada. 

Jacintha 

I want to thank God for giving me this voice. I love to sing with my dada. Maybe one day after I finish my studies I will be a professional singer. When on stage I don’t feel nervous, but before the show I do sometimes. 

By Niro Waidyaratne 
Photographs by Nisal Baduge