Snake hipped Tom Jones, is the man with the voice, as well as famously known as The Voice.

As a fan of live music I was looking forward to this play, and had arranged to go along with my parents, who were big fans of Tom Jones in his younger days. Unfortunately due to ill health, my parents could not attend so my 21 year old daughter, Olivia, tagged along.

I can’t pretend that she was as excited about the storyline as my parents were, but said she would come along to keep me company. So it was really pleasing to see her foot tapping as familiar tunes were belted out by Kit Orton, who played Tom.

I wasn’t familiar with the story of how Tom achieved his fame, and so it was an engaging performance, where the characters were sensitively portrayed to show the struggles, sacrifices and hard work that Tom and the band endured in getting to the top. After spending many evenings singing and performing in the working men’s clubs of South Wales the big break finally came in 1965 on St David’s Day with ‘It’s Not Unusual’.

Behind Tom was Linda, his childhood sweetheart, and whom he married when she was only 16, and pregnant. Linda was a strong and steadfast woman, who showed true courage and commitment to her man, even when it was clear he was not always true to her.

The performance made great use of the stage, and the inclusion of a narrator helped to knit the story together, and to keep the fast pace. And of course, no-one could come along to Tom and not be impressed by the great singing. Kit Orton not only gave a great snake hipped impression, he also gave a great rendition of all of the songs included in the show – so it was no surprise to see everyone up on their feet dancing along by the end of the evening.

Tom, a production by Theatr na nÓg, RCT Theatres and NPT Theatres, and written by Mike James, is showing until 3rd May at the New Wosley Theatre.